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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: last · court · fork · net · current · chair · roll · fall

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. net — for catching
  3. fall — the season
  4. net — after costs
  5. court — of law
  6. court — for sport
  7. fall — to drop
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a cake
  10. last — final
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. last — finally
  16. roll — a list
  17. current — happening now
  18. last — to go on
  19. net — in sport
  20. court — of a king
  21. chair — a leader
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. current — electric

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