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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: present · current · sharp · court · pitcher · fan · snap · perch

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. current — electric
  4. court — of a king
  5. current — of water
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. court — of law
  8. present — the time now
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. court — for sport
  19. current — happening now
  20. present — a gift
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. present — there
  24. perch — for a bird

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