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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · kid · season · arm · trunk · saw · swing · current

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. court — of law
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. current — electric
  5. swing — in golf
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. kid — to tease
  10. season — in sport
  11. court — for sport
  12. kid — child
  13. saw — the tool
  14. swing — to play on
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. court — of a king
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. saw — the tool
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. current — of water
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. swing — music
  24. season — of the year

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