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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: court · cap · lash · row · pop · chair · current · pitcher

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. row — a line
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. chair — a leader
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cap — a lid
  7. court — of law
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. row — to paddle
  10. current — electric
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — music
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. court — of a king
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. cap — a hat
  19. current — of water
  20. current — happening now
  21. court — for sport
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. pop — to visit

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