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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. ball — a dance
  4. hand — help
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. current — electric
  11. branch — a division
  12. ball — a great time
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. court — for sport
  17. bark — to shout
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. rush — hurry
  20. current — happening now
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — a permit
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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