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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: cabinet · cell · bulb · jam · current · trunk · court · sharp

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. sharp — clever
  3. court — of a king
  4. cell — a phone
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. court — of law
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. court — for sport
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — of water
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. current — electric
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. trunk — of a tree

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