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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: roll · court · pound · current · staff · squash · track · lean

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  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. squash — to crush
  2. current — of water
  3. lean — thin
  4. squash — the sport
  5. roll — a cake
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. lean — to bend
  8. staff — a stick
  9. current — electric
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. staff — employees
  12. track — a song
  13. current — happening now
  14. staff — employees
  15. court — of a king
  16. track — a path
  17. court — for sport
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. roll — a list
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. track — to keep track
  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