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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 116 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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — thin
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. current — electric
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. perch — the fish
  11. current — of water
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lean — to bend
  14. staff — a stick
  15. staff — employees
  16. dip — to sink
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. current — happening now
  20. staff — employees
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — an explosive

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