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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 116 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 · vault · dip · court · clip · bound · face · wind

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. face — to confront
  4. current — of water
  5. clip — a video
  6. current — happening now
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. bound — tied together
  9. court — of a king
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bound — certain
  13. wind — moving air
  14. dip — to sink
  15. face — part of the head
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bound — obliged
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. vault — a safe
  20. face — to point toward
  21. wind — moving air
  22. current — electric
  23. court — for sport
  24. dip — to dunk

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