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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: current · content · kick · court · hand · last · prune · mouse

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. prune — to trim
  4. content — the amount
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. current — happening now
  7. prune — to trim
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. hand — help
  10. content — happy
  11. current — of water
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. last — to go on
  14. hand — in cards
  15. last — final
  16. last — finally
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. court — of law
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — for sport
  21. kick — in football
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. current — electric
  24. kick — with a leg

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