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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.

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: straw · fall · net · court · current · mug · present · content

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. content — the amount
  6. fall — the season
  7. present — a gift
  8. content — happy
  9. mug — a face
  10. court — of a king
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. net — for catching
  14. mug — a cup
  15. court — of law
  16. current — happening now
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. net — in sport
  19. present — there
  20. court — for sport
  21. current — electric
  22. mug — to rob
  23. present — the time now
  24. net — after costs

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