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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 · club · ground · sharp · current · pop · cue · lie

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. current — of water
  5. lie — to recline
  6. pop — to visit
  7. club — for dancing
  8. court — of a king
  9. pop — soda
  10. court — of law
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. cue — for pool
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. court — for sport
  15. cue — a signal
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — crushed
  18. cue — a hint
  19. pop — music
  20. club — a group
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. current — happening now
  23. club — for golf
  24. current — electric

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