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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 120 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: can · bore · pop · court · bat · current · key · mark

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bore — to tire
  3. can — a tin
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. can — to be able to
  7. court — of a king
  8. key — the most important part
  9. court — for sport
  10. pop — music
  11. current — electric
  12. pop — to visit
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — a grade
  15. current — happening now
  16. pop — soda
  17. key — in music
  18. current — of water
  19. can — a tin
  20. key — for a lock
  21. bat — the animal
  22. court — of law
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bat — for baseball

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