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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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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 · wake · sharp · last · current · foot · jam · chip

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. wake — a trail
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — electric
  7. chip — for betting
  8. last — finally
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. court — of law
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. last — to go on
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. last — final
  18. current — of water
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — to eat
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. court — of a king
  24. foot — a measure

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