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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: dip · current · rule · wound · court · ruler · sharp · net

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. wound — an injury
  6. court — for sport
  7. rule — a law
  8. current — electric
  9. court — of law
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. rule — government
  12. current — happening now
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. net — after costs
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. net — for catching
  18. sharp — clever
  19. net — in sport
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. wound — an injury
  23. court — of a king
  24. current — of water

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