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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. band — a ring
  4. current — happening now
  5. vault — a safe
  6. court — of a king
  7. rush — hurry
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. current — of water
  12. band — a music group
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. cap — of ice
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. court — for sport
  19. wake — a trail
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cell — a phone
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. current — electric
  24. cap — a hat

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