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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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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: bay · court · cue · lean · date · season · bound · current

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. current — happening now
  3. court — for sport
  4. cue — a signal
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — thin
  7. bound — tied together
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. lean — to bend
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. cue — for pool
  13. court — of law
  14. season — of the year
  15. cue — a hint
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. season — in sport
  18. current — electric
  19. date — the fruit
  20. bound — obliged
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bound — certain
  23. current — of water
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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