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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. current — electric
  3. spring — of water
  4. suit — clothes
  5. court — of a king
  6. current — happening now
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. net — for catching
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. net — after costs
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. spring — the season
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. spring — a coil
  16. suit — in cards
  17. court — of law
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. net — in sport
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. current — of water
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. suit — to fit

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