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

Word bank: court · kid · wave · scale · current · arm

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. court — for sport
  5. kid — to tease
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. current — happening now
  8. kid — child
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. scale — in music
  11. current — electric
  12. current — of water
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. court — of a king
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. scale — size or range
  17. court — of law
  18. arm — part of the body

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