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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: lean · court · sharp · can · current · leaves · club · hand

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to bend
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. court — for sport
  5. current — of water
  6. current — happening now
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. can — to be able to
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. can — a tin
  15. hand — in cards
  16. current — electric
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — help
  19. club — for golf
  20. club — a group
  21. can — a tin
  22. club — for dancing
  23. court — of law
  24. court — of a king

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