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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: rule · court · season · wake · ball · current · rash · wound

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. court — of law
  5. court — of a king
  6. ball — a dance
  7. court — for sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. ball — a great time
  10. rash — a series
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rash — hasty
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. season — of the year
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. season — in sport
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. rule — government
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rule — a law
  22. current — electric
  23. wound — an injury
  24. current — of water

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