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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: last · bore · court · tube · content · current · file · mug

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — of a king
  3. bore — to tire
  4. tube — a container
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — the amount
  8. last — to go on
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — to rob
  12. content — happy
  13. last — finally
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a tool
  16. last — final
  17. bore — to drill
  18. court — for sport
  19. file — a document
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — of water
  23. current — electric
  24. tube — the underground

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