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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 · key · safe · club · season · bulb · pound · current

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. season — of the year
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. current — electric
  5. pound — a weight
  6. club — for golf
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. current — of water
  10. court — for sport
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bulb — for light
  14. key — the most important part
  15. key — for a lock
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. court — of law
  18. bulb — for light
  19. key — in music
  20. current — happening now
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — in sport
  24. pound — for dogs

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