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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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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. season — in sport
  3. vault — a safe
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. charge — in control
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. season — of the year
  11. charge — a price
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a tool
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. current — of water
  17. charge — electricity
  18. snap — to click
  19. file — a line of people
  20. current — happening now
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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