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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: suit · nail · wind · charge · court · row · spell · current

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. charge — electricity
  3. suit — in cards
  4. court — for sport
  5. wind — moving air
  6. suit — to fit
  7. current — happening now
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. current — of water
  10. row — to paddle
  11. court — of a king
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. spell — letters
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. current — electric
  16. charge — in control
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. suit — clothes
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. spell — a short time
  21. charge — a price
  22. court — of law
  23. spell — magic
  24. row — a line

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