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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.

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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: mug · court · hand · current · bound · temple · pop · spell

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. current — of water
  3. court — of law
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. spell — magic
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. spell — letters
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bound — obliged
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bound — tied together
  14. pop — music
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. current — electric
  17. pop — to visit
  18. court — of a king
  19. current — happening now
  20. mug — a face
  21. hand — help
  22. mug — a cup
  23. bound — certain
  24. pop — soda

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