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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. tube — the underground
  3. court — for sport
  4. swing — music
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. mine — for digging
  8. root — of a word
  9. court — of a king
  10. sharp — clever
  11. current — of water
  12. vault — a safe
  13. root — the cause
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. current — happening now
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. root — of a plant
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. court — of law
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — in golf
  24. current — electric

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