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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bear · date · court · chest · squash · fan · jam · current

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. court — of law
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. current — electric
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — the sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. chest — of your body
  14. current — happening now
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — the fruit
  17. court — for sport
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. current — of water
  22. squash — to crush
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fan — a supporter

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