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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. roll — a list
  3. roll — a cake
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. suit — to fit
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. ball — a great time
  12. current — happening now
  13. clip — to cut
  14. ball — a dance
  15. current — electric
  16. court — of law
  17. court — of a king
  18. suit — in cards
  19. deal — to handle
  20. clip — a video
  21. sharp — clever
  22. clip — for paper
  23. suit — clothes
  24. court — for sport

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