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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.

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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: current · court · deal · fine · fork · bat

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bat — the animal
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — in a road
  5. deal — to handle
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. current — electric
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. court — for sport
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. court — of a king
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. court — of law
  16. current — of water
  17. current — happening now
  18. fine — high quality

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