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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: present · squash · lean · current · date · row · court · ball

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. present — the time now
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. present — a gift
  6. squash — to crush
  7. current — happening now
  8. row — a line
  9. date — the fruit
  10. court — of a king
  11. ball — a great time
  12. lean — to bend
  13. squash — the sport
  14. present — there
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. current — electric
  19. current — of water
  20. ball — a dance
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. row — to paddle
  23. court — for sport
  24. lean — thin

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