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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: cabinet · rock · jam · wound · object · court · charge · current

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. court — for sport
  3. charge — electricity
  4. wound — an injury
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. object — a thing
  8. current — happening now
  9. court — of a king
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. charge — a price
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. rock — a stone
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. court — of law
  18. rock — music
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. current — of water
  21. charge — in control
  22. object — an aim
  23. current — electric
  24. rock — to move gently

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