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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 116 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: row · squash · racket · spell · dip · court · current · chair

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. current — of water
  3. current — happening now
  4. row — a line
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — letters
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. court — for sport
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. chair — a leader
  11. squash — the sport
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. dip — to sink
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. court — of law
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. current — electric
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. row — to paddle
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. spell — magic
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. court — of a king

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