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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 116 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: fan · current · court · lie · kick · race · stand · rash

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — for sport
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. race — the arms race
  6. lie — to recline
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — humankind
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. current — electric
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rash — a series
  15. court — of law
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. current — of water
  19. stand — to bear
  20. current — happening now
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. rash — hasty
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. kick — in football

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