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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. vault — a safe
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. current — happening now
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. current — of water
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. snap — to click
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. current — electric
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. court — of a king
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. court — of law
  22. mine — for digging
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. arm — part of the body

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