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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: court · cap · wound · squash · snap · toast · leaves · current

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. current — electric
  3. snap — to click
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. court — for sport
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. current — happening now
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. wound — an injury
  11. court — of a king
  12. cap — a lid
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. cap — of ice
  15. squash — the sport
  16. court — of law
  17. toast — bread
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. wound — an injury
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — to crush
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. cap — a hat
  24. current — of water

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