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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. vault — a safe
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — a series
  5. pit — a hole
  6. current — of water
  7. fall — to drop
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. current — electric
  12. fall — to drop
  13. hand — in cards
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. pit — in a race
  18. current — happening now
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — size or range
  21. hand — help
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. fall — the season

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