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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 116 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: tube · court · row · pop · current · squash · pitch · patient

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pop — soda
  3. current — of water
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. pop — to visit
  7. squash — to crush
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. squash — the sport
  11. court — for sport
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. current — electric
  14. court — of law
  15. row — a line
  16. pitch — completely
  17. row — to paddle
  18. pop — music
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. tube — a container
  21. current — happening now
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. tube — the underground

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