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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. track — a path
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. vault — a safe
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. rule — a law
  7. cap — a lid
  8. pop — to visit
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. track — to keep track
  13. current — of water
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. pop — soda
  16. current — electric
  17. wind — moving air
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. cap — a hat
  20. current — happening now
  21. track — a song
  22. rule — government
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. pop — music

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