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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: sharp · rush · ruler · court · stand · current · wake · bat

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. court — for sport
  3. current — happening now
  4. bat — the animal
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. rush — hurry
  10. current — electric
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. sharp — clever
  15. wake — a trail
  16. current — of water
  17. court — of a king
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. court — of law
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. stand — to bear
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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