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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. mark — a grade
  3. season — in sport
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. current — electric
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. current — of water
  8. mark — a trace
  9. chest — a box
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. court — for sport
  12. scale — in music
  13. chest — of your body
  14. scale — size or range
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. season — of the year
  17. vault — a safe
  18. current — happening now
  19. chest — of your body
  20. court — of a king
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. pound — a weight
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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