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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: current · pass · court · swing · bear · cold · ruler · fine

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. swing — to play on
  3. cold — an illness
  4. court — for sport
  5. cold — not warm
  6. pass — a permit
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. swing — music
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. fine — all right
  13. court — of law
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bear — the animal
  18. current — electric
  19. current — of water
  20. court — of a king
  21. fine — high quality
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. swing — in golf

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