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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: court · current · kid · rash · content · tube · fall · mine

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. court — of a king
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. court — of law
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. fall — to drop
  10. content — happy
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. current — happening now
  14. content — the amount
  15. court — for sport
  16. current — electric
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — hasty
  19. kid — to tease
  20. tube — the underground
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. current — of water
  24. tube — a container

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