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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: sharp · current · court · wake · land · stick · fine · pound

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. fine — all right
  3. land — ground
  4. court — of a king
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. current — electric
  8. land — a country
  9. wake — a trail
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. current — happening now
  12. pound — a weight
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of law
  17. fine — high quality
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. sharp — clever
  24. land — to come down

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