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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. current — electric
  3. kid — child
  4. land — a country
  5. club — for golf
  6. court — of law
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. court — of a king
  10. current — of water
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — to get on
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. club — a group
  18. court — for sport
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. land — to come down
  21. kid — to tease
  22. land — ground
  23. club — for dancing
  24. current — happening now

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