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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: court · tube · pitcher · game · present · fan · current · cap

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. tube — a container
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. present — the time now
  5. current — happening now
  6. present — there
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. cap — a lid
  10. present — a gift
  11. cap — of ice
  12. game — wild animals
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. game — a match
  18. tube — the underground
  19. court — of a king
  20. current — electric
  21. court — for sport
  22. cap — a hat
  23. court — of law
  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