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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 120 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: trunk · object · current · saw · content · court · chair · spell

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — happening now
  3. object — a thing
  4. content — the amount
  5. court — for sport
  6. spell — magic
  7. chair — a leader
  8. saw — the tool
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. court — of a king
  11. object — to protest
  12. content — happy
  13. spell — letters
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. current — electric
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. saw — the tool
  20. spell — a short time
  21. court — of law
  22. object — an aim
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. chair — a professorship

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