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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: court · spell · current · branch · last · deal · cap · mug

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. mug — to rob
  3. last — finally
  4. current — electric
  5. deal — to handle
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. last — to go on
  10. current — of water
  11. mug — a cup
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. cap — of ice
  14. mug — a face
  15. court — of law
  16. last — final
  17. branch — a division
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — a hat
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. spell — magic
  22. court — for sport
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. current — happening now

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