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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: current · court · suit · staff · ground · wind · toast · deal

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — of water
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. staff — a stick
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — a position
  9. suit — to fit
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — to handle
  12. toast — bread
  13. court — of law
  14. suit — in cards
  15. court — for sport
  16. current — happening now
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. staff — employees
  19. court — of a king
  20. ground — the earth
  21. wind — moving air
  22. staff — employees
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. suit — clothes

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