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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. current — happening now
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a dance
  5. degree — from a university
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. degree — an amount
  11. snap — to click
  12. drill — the tool
  13. cell — a phone
  14. last — finally
  15. current — electric
  16. ball — a great time
  17. degree — temperature
  18. last — final
  19. drill — army training
  20. last — to go on
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. drill — a practice
  24. current — of water

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