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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 · wave · hide · net · degree · current · fine · lean

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. court — of law
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. fine — high quality
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. current — electric
  11. degree — from a university
  12. current — happening now
  13. lean — thin
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. net — for catching
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. degree — temperature
  18. fine — all right
  19. current — of water
  20. degree — an amount
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of a king
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. lean — to bend

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