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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: jam · hand · fork · stick · cold · arm · capital · current

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. capital — money
  3. current — electric
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — in cards
  6. current — of water
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. capital — a city
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. current — happening now
  17. fork — in a road
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. cold — an illness
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. hand — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com