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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: nail · bay · court · present · plane · spring · current · mug

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. court — of law
  5. mug — a cup
  6. current — of water
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. present — the time now
  11. mug — to rob
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — a coil
  15. court — of a king
  16. plane — a tool
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. current — electric
  19. present — there
  20. present — a gift
  21. mug — a face
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  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