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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. vault — a safe
  4. wound — an injury
  5. hand — help
  6. file — a line of people
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wound — an injury
  10. hand — in cards
  11. current — happening now
  12. file — a document
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. file — a tool
  15. suit — to fit
  16. current — of water
  17. march — the month
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. suit — in cards
  21. current — electric
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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