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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. current — electric
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. tube — the underground
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. court — for sport
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — a container
  10. current — happening now
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — a safe
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. current — of water
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. court — of law
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. wake — a trail
  21. court — of a king
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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