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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: craft · straw · bound · current · chip · pitch · date · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. current — electric
  3. date — the fruit
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. bound — obliged
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. chip — to eat
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bound — tied together
  12. current — of water
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. court — of a king
  15. craft — a skill
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. court — for sport
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bound — certain
  21. current — happening now
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. craft — boats
  24. pitch — completely

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