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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: hide · court · current · fan · roll · rule · ground · wind

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. roll — a cake
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. ground — a position
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. current — electric
  9. current — happening now
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. ground — the earth
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — for sport
  15. wind — moving air
  16. court — of law
  17. roll — a list
  18. rule — government
  19. ground — crushed
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. current — of water

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