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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: clip · scale · vault · current · game · cue · court · squash

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. current — electric
  3. current — happening now
  4. scale — in music
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. court — for sport
  7. clip — for paper
  8. game — wild animals
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. squash — to crush
  11. game — a match
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. cue — for pool
  14. scale — size or range
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. current — of water
  17. vault — a safe
  18. clip — a video
  19. court — of law
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — a signal
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. clip — to cut

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