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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: club · prune · pass · object · current · cabinet · kid · court

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. kid — to tease
  4. court — of law
  5. prune — to trim
  6. court — of a king
  7. current — happening now
  8. object — an aim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. club — a group
  11. kid — child
  12. object — a thing
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. club — for golf
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. current — electric
  18. club — for dancing
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. court — for sport
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. object — to protest
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — a permit

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