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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: current · cell · suit · tube · wound · fork · court · mate

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. court — of a king
  3. current — happening now
  4. court — for sport
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a partner
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. fork — in a road
  10. tube — the underground
  11. suit — clothes
  12. current — electric
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. suit — in cards
  15. wound — an injury
  16. tube — a container
  17. cell — a phone
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. current — of water
  20. court — of law
  21. wound — an injury
  22. suit — to fit
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. cell — in biology

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