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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 120 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: cold · stick · squash · current · ruler · coach · court · pitch

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. court — of a king
  3. current — happening now
  4. squash — the sport
  5. current — of water
  6. court — for sport
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — completely
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. current — electric
  17. court — of law
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. cold — not warm
  22. squash — to crush
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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