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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 · pitch · board · court · degree · fine · prune · rush

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. fine — all right
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. current — happening now
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. prune — to trim
  11. board — to get on
  12. court — of law
  13. degree — an amount
  14. court — of a king
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. current — electric
  17. fine — high quality
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. court — for sport
  20. degree — temperature
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. board — a committee
  24. pitch — completely

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