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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: court · rush · bore · current · staff · cue · date · saw

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. court — for sport
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bore — to tire
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. cue — a signal
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. bore — to drill
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. court — of a king
  15. current — electric
  16. current — of water
  17. cue — a hint
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. court — of law
  20. staff — a stick
  21. current — happening now
  22. date — the fruit
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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