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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 · current · pitch · rush · chest · tube · snap · nail

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — the underground
  3. court — for sport
  4. rush — hurry
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to click
  9. court — of a king
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. current — of water
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. court — of law
  16. chest — a box
  17. current — happening now
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. tube — a container
  21. pitch — completely
  22. current — electric
  23. chest — of your body
  24. nail — on a finger

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