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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: fan · court · current · pit · drill · fall · sharp · board

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. current — of water
  3. board — a committee
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. current — electric
  6. current — happening now
  7. drill — army training
  8. board — to get on
  9. sharp — clever
  10. fall — the season
  11. drill — the tool
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. fall — to drop
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. court — of a king
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — a hole
  19. drill — a practice
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pit — in a race
  24. court — of law

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