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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: court · fine · shower · current · snap · pop · file · tube

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. fine — all right
  3. court — of law
  4. file — a document
  5. pop — to visit
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — a container
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. file — a tool
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. court — of a king
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. court — for sport
  17. file — a line of people
  18. shower — rain
  19. current — electric
  20. pop — soda
  21. snap — to click
  22. current — of water
  23. fine — high quality
  24. current — happening now

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