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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 116 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: court · wax · pop · snap · lie · season · current · net

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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. snap — to click
  2. net — in sport
  3. pop — to visit
  4. lie — to recline
  5. pop — soda
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. net — after costs
  8. pop — music
  9. court — of law
  10. net — for catching
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. season — in sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. current — electric
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. current — of water
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. season — of the year
  23. court — for sport
  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