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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
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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: bear · nail · current · chair · court · content · stock · snap

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. court — of law
  3. content — happy
  4. court — for sport
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. stock — goods
  8. court — of a king
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. snap — to click
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — shares
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. current — electric
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. content — the amount
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. current — of water
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. current — happening now
  24. nail — on a finger

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