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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. current — electric
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. current — of water
  6. rock — a stone
  7. fall — to drop
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. can — a tin
  10. fall — the season
  11. roll — a list
  12. roll — a cake
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. fall — to drop
  16. vault — a safe
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. can — a tin
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — an illness
  21. rock — music
  22. can — to be able to
  23. current — happening now
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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