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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: file · fine · cue · bound · kid · current · capital · court

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. capital — money
  3. file — a line of people
  4. court — of a king
  5. cue — a signal
  6. fine — all right
  7. bound — obliged
  8. kid — to tease
  9. cue — a hint
  10. court — for sport
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. court — of law
  13. file — a document
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. fine — high quality
  16. file — a tool
  17. capital — a city
  18. bound — certain
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bound — tied together
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. current — happening now

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