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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 120 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 · last · coach · band · staff · current · dip · rash

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. band — a music group
  3. current — of water
  4. staff — a stick
  5. dip — to sink
  6. current — electric
  7. rash — a series
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. staff — employees
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. court — of a king
  12. current — happening now
  13. court — for sport
  14. rash — hasty
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. last — finally
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. band — a ring
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. last — to go on
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. staff — employees
  24. court — of law

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