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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. current — happening now
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — in a race
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pit — a hole
  9. current — of water
  10. cap — of ice
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. court — for sport
  13. cap — a lid
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. current — electric
  20. lean — to bend
  21. cap — a hat
  22. lean — thin
  23. court — of a king
  24. racket — a loud noise

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