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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 116 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. court — of a king
  6. current — of water
  7. fork — in a road
  8. wake — a trail
  9. court — for sport
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. current — electric
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bat — the animal
  17. band — a music group
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. court — of law
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a rubber band

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