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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: court · calf · lash · spell · season · file · mine · current

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  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. file — a document
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. spell — magic
  4. current — electric
  5. court — of a king
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. court — for sport
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. current — happening now
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. spell — a short time
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. file — a tool
  18. season — in sport
  19. court — of law
  20. file — a line of people
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. season — of the year
  23. spell — letters
  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