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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. file — a tool
  3. stand — to bear
  4. vault — a safe
  5. file — a document
  6. suit — in cards
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — temperature
  9. kid — child
  10. current — happening now
  11. file — a line of people
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. suit — to fit
  14. current — of water
  15. rush — hurry
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — to tease
  22. current — electric
  23. degree — an amount
  24. suit — clothes

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