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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. current — of water
  5. current — electric
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. wind — moving air
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. plane — a tool
  12. rock — music
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. vault — a safe
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — a stone
  22. kick — in football
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. current — happening now

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