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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 116 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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. court — of a king
  3. rest — what's left
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. vault — a safe
  7. rest — a break
  8. mug — to rob
  9. current — electric
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in biology
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mug — a cup
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. clip — to cut
  18. tear — from crying
  19. court — for sport
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — for paper
  22. current — of water
  23. court — of law
  24. mug — a face

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