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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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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. last — final
  3. cap — of ice
  4. last — finally
  5. current — electric
  6. cap — a lid
  7. vault — a safe
  8. current — of water
  9. cap — a hat
  10. content — happy
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — to get on
  16. last — to go on
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. board — a committee
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wind — moving air
  23. current — happening now
  24. content — the amount

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