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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: court · fall · craft · vault · snap · net · spell · current

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. net — after costs
  3. current — of water
  4. fall — to drop
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. court — of law
  11. fall — to drop
  12. vault — a safe
  13. net — in sport
  14. snap — to click
  15. court — of a king
  16. craft — a skill
  17. court — for sport
  18. net — for catching
  19. current — electric
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. craft — boats
  22. current — happening now
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. fall — the season

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