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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 retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. court — of law
  3. current — of water
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. court — of a king
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. current — electric
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rush — hurry
  15. current — happening now
  16. roll — a list
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. court — for sport
  19. roll — a cake
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. season — of the year
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rush — a thrill

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