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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 · current · file · wake · court · deal · swing · spell

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. court — for sport
  3. spell — letters
  4. court — of a king
  5. spell — magic
  6. swing — in golf
  7. file — a line of people
  8. current — happening now
  9. swing — music
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. court — of law
  12. wake — a trail
  13. club — a group
  14. deal — to handle
  15. club — for dancing
  16. file — a tool
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. current — electric
  19. spell — a short time
  20. club — for golf
  21. current — of water
  22. file — a document
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. swing — to play on

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