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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. vault — a safe
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. pass — a permit
  7. court — of a king
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. drill — the tool
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. drill — a practice
  12. current — electric
  13. court — for sport
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. kick — in football
  17. current — of water
  18. drill — army training
  19. mug — to rob
  20. court — of law
  21. current — happening now
  22. mug — a cup
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. kick — with a leg

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