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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: ground · coach · rush · content · object · race · current · court

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. court — of a king
  4. content — the amount
  5. object — an aim
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. current — happening now
  9. object — a thing
  10. court — of law
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. rush — hurry
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. content — happy
  15. race — the arms race
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — crushed
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. current — of water
  20. ground — a position
  21. race — a contest
  22. object — to protest
  23. court — for sport
  24. race — humankind

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