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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. current — of water
  4. lean — to bend
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — a grade
  10. current — electric
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. shower — to wash
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. lean — thin
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — of law
  20. current — happening now
  21. shower — rain
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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