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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 120 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 ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. court — for sport
  3. bulb — for light
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. bulb — for light
  6. net — in sport
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bank — of a river
  9. current — of water
  10. bank — for money
  11. net — for catching
  12. court — of a king
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. dip — to sink
  16. current — happening now
  17. court — of law
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. clip — a video
  21. vault — a safe
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. current — electric
  24. net — after costs

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