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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. track — a song
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a path
  8. cold — not warm
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. mine — for digging
  11. squash — the sport
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. squash — to crush
  15. current — electric
  16. vault — a safe
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. current — happening now
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. current — of water
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. mine — belonging to me

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