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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.

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: racket · last · bound · current · clip · court · bank · kid

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. court — of a king
  3. kid — child
  4. court — of law
  5. current — electric
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. last — finally
  8. bank — of a river
  9. court — for sport
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bank — for money
  12. clip — for paper
  13. kid — to tease
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. last — final
  16. current — happening now
  17. bank — for money
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — tied together
  21. clip — to cut
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. current — of water
  24. last — to go on

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