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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.

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: court · saw · current · can · file · game · suit · cold

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. suit — clothes
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. suit — to fit
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. cold — an illness
  8. saw — the tool
  9. file — a document
  10. cold — not warm
  11. current — of water
  12. saw — the tool
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of law
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. current — happening now
  17. court — of a king
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. game — a match
  22. file — a line of people
  23. current — electric
  24. file — a 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