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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: tear · racket · court · bound · present · current · net · stick

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. net — for catching
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bound — tied together
  5. court — for sport
  6. current — electric
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. current — of water
  9. tear — from crying
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. present — there
  14. court — of a king
  15. current — happening now
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. net — in sport
  18. present — a gift
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. tear — from crying
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. present — the time now
  23. tear — to rip
  24. net — after costs

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