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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 · chair · current · pit · swing · kick · leaves · hide

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. current — happening now
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. swing — to play on
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pit — a hole
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — of law
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. pit — in a race
  17. current — of water
  18. swing — music
  19. current — electric
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. kick — in football
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. court — for sport
  24. swing — in golf

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