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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. court — of law
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. fall — to drop
  5. court — of a king
  6. cell — a phone
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. current — electric
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. current — of water
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. game — wild animals
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. game — a match
  22. court — for sport
  23. current — happening now
  24. hand — in cards

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