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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: kick · land · rest · court · current · fork · row · wave

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — to paddle
  3. court — of a king
  4. current — happening now
  5. land — a country
  6. court — of law
  7. rest — a break
  8. court — for sport
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. land — to come down
  13. current — electric
  14. current — of water
  15. land — ground
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. fork — in a road
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — in football

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