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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. ground — the earth
  3. squash — to crush
  4. court — of law
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. roll — a cake
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. ground — a position
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. ground — crushed
  13. staff — a stick
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. court — for sport
  16. current — of water
  17. roll — a list
  18. current — happening now
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. staff — employees
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. squash — the sport
  23. staff — employees
  24. court — of a king

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