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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: wound · court · vault · ruler · firm · squash · fork · current

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. firm — a company
  3. wound — an injury
  4. court — for sport
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fork — in a road
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. firm — steady
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. firm — decided
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. court — of law
  13. vault — a safe
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. squash — the sport
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. current — happening now
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. court — of a king
  22. current — of water
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. ruler — for measuring

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