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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: bark · current · wind · court · kick · mug · file · pitch

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. mug — a cup
  3. court — of law
  4. bark — to shout
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. file — a document
  7. mug — to rob
  8. current — electric
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. court — for sport
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. current — of water
  16. court — of a king
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — in football
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a line of people
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mug — a face
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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