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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · vault · current · chip · plane · cell · court · lash

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. court — of law
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. current — electric
  6. ball — a dance
  7. cell — in biology
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. current — happening now
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. plane — a tool
  14. cell — a phone
  15. court — of a king
  16. current — of water
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. vault — a safe
  20. chip — for betting
  21. ball — a great time
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. court — for sport
  24. chip — to eat

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