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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. current — happening now
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — of law
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. spring — a coil
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. current — of water
  12. face — part of the head
  13. game — a match
  14. current — electric
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. spring — the season
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pitch — completely
  22. court — for sport
  23. spring — of water
  24. face — to confront

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