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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: court · cell · land · bore · racket · current

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. bore — to tire
  3. cell — a phone
  4. land — a country
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bore — to drill
  7. court — of a king
  8. land — to come down
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. current — of water
  12. court — for sport
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. current — happening now
  17. land — ground
  18. court — of law

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