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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · suit · track · season · squash · leaves · swing · court

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. track — a path
  3. track — a song
  4. suit — in cards
  5. squash — to crush
  6. current — happening now
  7. swing — to play on
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. squash — the sport
  10. track — to keep track
  11. court — of a king
  12. suit — clothes
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — in sport
  15. current — of water
  16. swing — in golf
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of law
  19. current — electric
  20. suit — to fit
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. swing — music
  24. leaves — lets stay

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