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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. cold — an illness
  3. court — of law
  4. firm — steady
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — not warm
  7. current — of water
  8. vault — a safe
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. firm — decided
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. court — for sport
  15. current — electric
  16. current — happening now
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. court — of a king
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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