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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. current — of water
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. current — happening now
  6. kid — child
  7. rule — government
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. wound — an injury
  10. key — in music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. key — the most important part
  14. vault — a safe
  15. kid — to tease
  16. current — electric
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — of ice
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. rule — a law

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