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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. current — of water
  3. bat — the animal
  4. scale — size or range
  5. stem — to come from
  6. wound — an injury
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. current — happening now
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. current — electric
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. vault — a safe
  16. wound — an injury
  17. scale — in music
  18. file — a tool
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. file — a document
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. file — a line of people
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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