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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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Word bank
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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: current · toast · mark · roll · kick · file · vault · court

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. court — of a king
  3. mark — a grade
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. current — happening now
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. current — of water
  9. file — a tool
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of law
  12. roll — a list
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a document
  15. toast — bread
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. vault — a safe
  20. roll — a cake
  21. mark — a trace
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. kick — in football
  24. toast — the most admired

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