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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: kick · hand · court · pit · toast · current · swing · game

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. swing — in golf
  3. toast — bread
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — of law
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. game — wild animals
  8. court — for sport
  9. pit — in a race
  10. swing — to play on
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. hand — in cards
  14. kick — in football
  15. current — happening now
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. game — a match
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. pit — a hole
  22. swing — music
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. kick — a thrill

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