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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: net · court · pass · capital · nail · mouse · pop · current

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. court — for sport
  7. current — electric
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. net — in sport
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. capital — money
  13. court — of law
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pop — music
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. net — after costs
  19. current — of water
  20. net — for catching
  21. current — happening now
  22. pop — soda
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pass — a permit

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