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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: wave · court · current · present · snap · face · key · net

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. court — for sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. court — of law
  5. net — for catching
  6. snap — to click
  7. current — happening now
  8. present — a gift
  9. court — of a king
  10. face — part of the head
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — there
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. net — in sport
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. key — for a lock
  19. face — to confront
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. key — in music
  22. current — electric
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. current — of water

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