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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: kid · club · fan · fork · current · court · foot · rule

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. kid — child
  4. court — of law
  5. fork — in a road
  6. kid — to tease
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. current — of water
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. foot — a measure
  12. rule — government
  13. club — for golf
  14. current — electric
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. current — happening now
  17. rule — a law
  18. court — of a king
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. court — for sport
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. club — a group
  24. fan — a supporter

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