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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: hand · court · trunk · mine · current · game · mouse · rush

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. court — for sport
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. current — electric
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. current — of water
  8. court — of law
  9. hand — help
  10. court — of a king
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mine — for digging
  14. hand — in cards
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. rush — hurry
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. game — a match
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. game — a kind of play

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