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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. fall — the season
  3. root — of a plant
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. current — of water
  9. root — the cause
  10. lie — to recline
  11. cold — an illness
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — electric
  17. root — of a word
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. cold — not warm
  21. fall — to drop
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. kick — in football

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