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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 · deal · content · ground · rash · mark · current · jam

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. rash — a series
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. court — of a king
  5. mark — a trace
  6. deal — to handle
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — a position
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. current — happening now
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. court — of law
  19. mark — a grade
  20. content — the amount
  21. ground — crushed
  22. court — for sport
  23. rash — hasty
  24. content — happy

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