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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: court · rule · current · foot · kick · saw · spell · rest

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rule — a law
  4. spell — letters
  5. court — for sport
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. current — of water
  8. kick — in football
  9. saw — the tool
  10. foot — a measure
  11. rest — what's left
  12. spell — magic
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. court — of law
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. rest — a break
  18. court — of a king
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — government
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. spell — a short time

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