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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: current · spring · kick · track · face · court · last · row

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. last — finally
  3. spring — of water
  4. current — of water
  5. row — to paddle
  6. court — of a king
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — electric
  9. track — to keep track
  10. face — to point toward
  11. spring — a coil
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. face — to confront
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. track — a path
  17. face — part of the head
  18. last — to go on
  19. row — a line
  20. court — for sport
  21. kick — in football
  22. track — a song
  23. last — final
  24. spring — the season

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