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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wake — a trail
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. current — electric
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. court — of a king
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. dip — to sink
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cell — in biology
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. court — of law
  17. court — for sport
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. vault — a safe
  20. current — of water
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in a prison

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