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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.

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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: cabinet · toast · tear · cue · court · spell · current · season

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. court — of law
  3. cue — a hint
  4. current — of water
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. spell — a short time
  10. court — of a king
  11. season — of the year
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. spell — magic
  16. court — for sport
  17. spell — letters
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. tear — to rip
  20. cue — a signal
  21. current — happening now
  22. season — in sport
  23. cue — for pool
  24. toast — bread

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