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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. court — of law
  3. tear — from crying
  4. current — electric
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. key — in music
  12. key — for a lock
  13. court — of a king
  14. squash — to crush
  15. tear — to rip
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. court — for sport
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — a safe
  20. bark — to shout
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. current — of water
  23. key — the most important part
  24. tear — from crying

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