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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. fine — all right
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. vault — a safe
  12. mark — a trace
  13. rock — music
  14. current — electric
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — temperature
  17. degree — an amount
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. rock — a stone
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mark — a grade
  22. current — of water
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bear — the animal

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