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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lash · game · racket · court · current · bowl · rash · chair

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. current — of water
  3. current — electric
  4. current — happening now
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. chair — a leader
  9. court — of law
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. court — for sport
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. game — wild animals
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. court — of a king
  24. game — a match

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