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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.

Make a worksheet

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: current · bear · track · court · band · pit · cold · object

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — an illness
  6. court — of law
  7. object — to protest
  8. bear — the animal
  9. court — of a king
  10. pit — a hole
  11. court — for sport
  12. pit — in a race
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. current — happening now
  15. track — a song
  16. band — a music group
  17. bear — the animal
  18. track — a path
  19. track — to keep track
  20. band — a ring
  21. object — an aim
  22. object — a thing
  23. current — electric
  24. band — a rubber band

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