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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: calf · kid · bound · object · rash · court · current · game

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. kid — child
  4. bound — tied together
  5. current — of water
  6. rash — a series
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. object — to protest
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bound — obliged
  13. object — an aim
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rash — hasty
  16. current — electric
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. kid — to tease
  21. object — a thing
  22. current — happening now
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. court — of law

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