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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · swing · spring · foot · file · toast · court · calf

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. current — happening now
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. spring — of water
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. file — a document
  7. foot — a measure
  8. court — of a king
  9. file — a line of people
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. swing — music
  12. toast — bread
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. court — for sport
  15. spring — the season
  16. current — electric
  17. swing — in golf
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. swing — to play on
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. spring — a coil
  23. current — of water
  24. file — a tool

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