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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. current — electric
  3. court — for sport
  4. fall — to drop
  5. clip — a video
  6. fall — the season
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. current — of water
  11. hand — in cards
  12. court — of a king
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. court — of law
  15. clip — to cut
  16. fall — to drop
  17. ball — a dance
  18. hand — help
  19. vault — a safe
  20. plane — a tool
  21. current — happening now
  22. clip — for paper
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. ball — a great time

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