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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: racket · wax · current · degree · craft · dip · game · court

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. game — a match
  9. court — for sport
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — to sink
  14. craft — a skill
  15. current — electric
  16. degree — an amount
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. craft — boats
  20. game — wild animals
  21. wax — to grow
  22. current — of water
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — temperature

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