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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. vault — a safe
  4. mate — to breed
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. shower — to wash
  7. current — of water
  8. cell — a phone
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. shower — rain
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cell — in biology
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mate — a friend
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. mate — a partner
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — electric
  20. mine — for digging
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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