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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: bay · court · current · craft · mug · fine · net · drill

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. net — in sport
  4. craft — a skill
  5. court — of a king
  6. fine — all right
  7. net — for catching
  8. drill — the tool
  9. mug — a cup
  10. craft — boats
  11. drill — army training
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. current — electric
  14. fine — high quality
  15. current — of water
  16. mug — a face
  17. net — after costs
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. mug — to rob
  20. drill — a practice
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. court — of law
  24. current — happening now

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