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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 · court · mate · pound · last · hand · deal · mouse

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. current — electric
  3. current — of water
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. court — of a king
  6. mate — a partner
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. deal — to handle
  9. last — to go on
  10. current — happening now
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pound — a weight
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. court — for sport
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. hand — help
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. court — of law
  23. last — final
  24. deal — an agreement

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