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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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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 · roll · pop · stick · fall · squash · wind

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. current — of water
  3. fall — to drop
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. court — of law
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. squash — to crush
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. wind — moving air
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pop — music
  14. court — of a king
  15. current — electric
  16. fall — the season
  17. current — happening now
  18. squash — the sport
  19. pop — to visit
  20. roll — a list
  21. fall — to drop
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. wind — moving air
  24. court — for sport

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