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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: straw · saw · foot · tube · court · pop · suit · current

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. suit — to fit
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. court — of a king
  6. pop — music
  7. current — of water
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of law
  10. suit — in cards
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. pop — soda
  14. tube — the underground
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. pop — to visit
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. foot — a measure
  19. saw — the tool
  20. tube — a container
  21. current — electric
  22. suit — clothes
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. saw — the tool

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