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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. current — happening now
  3. cell — in biology
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cell — a phone
  7. current — of water
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. mate — a friend
  15. vault — a safe
  16. plane — a tool
  17. current — electric
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. wake — a trail
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. mate — to breed

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