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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: rush · pound · squash · court · bound · cell · current · wind

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. current — electric
  4. bound — obliged
  5. cell — in biology
  6. squash — to crush
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. court — for sport
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. wind — moving air
  11. current — happening now
  12. current — of water
  13. court — of law
  14. bound — tied together
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. squash — the sport
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bound — certain
  20. rush — hurry
  21. pound — a weight
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. cell — a phone

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