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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: bat · bowl · pop · current · wound · can · rush · court

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. can — to be able to
  4. wound — an injury
  5. court — for sport
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. court — of a king
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. current — electric
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — a tin
  13. court — of law
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. pop — soda
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pop — to visit
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — of water
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. pop — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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