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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. current — happening now
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. current — electric
  5. court — of a king
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. court — for sport
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. rash — a series
  16. roll — a list
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. land — a country
  20. court — of law
  21. rash — hasty
  22. roll — a cake
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. current — of water

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