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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. current — of water
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. current — electric
  6. pitch — completely
  7. charge — electricity
  8. vault — a safe
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — a price
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. current — happening now
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. court — for sport
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. squash — to crush
  20. wax — to grow
  21. squash — the sport
  22. court — of law
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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