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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. snap — to click
  4. present — a gift
  5. current — of water
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rush — hurry
  8. staff — a stick
  9. vault — a safe
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. staff — employees
  18. current — electric
  19. present — the time now
  20. current — happening now
  21. staff — employees
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. present — there

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