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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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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: band · mark · court · wake · straw · chip · current · fine

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. chip — to eat
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. current — happening now
  5. mark — a grade
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. band — a music group
  8. wake — a trail
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — of law
  15. current — of water
  16. mark — a trace
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. fine — all right
  19. band — a ring
  20. chip — for betting
  21. current — electric
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. court — for sport

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