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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: wind · hide · chip · bound · scale · current · pit · court

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bound — certain
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pit — in a race
  5. court — of a king
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. court — for sport
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. current — electric
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. pit — a hole
  12. chip — for betting
  13. current — of water
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — tied together
  18. court — of law
  19. scale — in music
  20. current — happening now
  21. wind — moving air
  22. chip — to eat
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. scale — for weighing

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