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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 120 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bound — certain
  3. net — in sport
  4. present — the time now
  5. current — of water
  6. staff — employees
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. present — there
  9. file — a document
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bound — obliged
  12. current — happening now
  13. vault — a safe
  14. staff — a stick
  15. net — for catching
  16. current — electric
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bound — tied together
  20. file — a line of people
  21. staff — employees
  22. net — after costs
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. file — a tool

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