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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. current — happening now
  4. cap — of ice
  5. current — electric
  6. season — of the year
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. object — a thing
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. cap — a hat
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — a match
  13. court — for sport
  14. object — to protest
  15. branch — a division
  16. cap — a lid
  17. object — an aim
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. court — of a king
  22. game — wild animals
  23. current — of water
  24. season — in 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