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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: staff · bound · court · roll · cue · track · current · arm

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. staff — a stick
  3. current — happening now
  4. roll — a cake
  5. track — to keep track
  6. cue — a signal
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. cue — a hint
  11. current — of water
  12. track — a song
  13. track — a path
  14. staff — employees
  15. court — for sport
  16. bound — tied together
  17. court — of a king
  18. bound — certain
  19. cue — for pool
  20. roll — a list
  21. court — of law
  22. staff — employees
  23. current — electric
  24. roll — on a roll

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