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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. fall — to drop
  3. current — electric
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. current — happening now
  6. mug — a cup
  7. fall — to drop
  8. drill — army training
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. current — of water
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. pass — a permit
  13. drill — the tool
  14. vault — a safe
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. drill — a practice
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — clever
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. mug — a face
  23. fall — the season
  24. pass — to spend time

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