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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. current — of water
  4. current — electric
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. spring — of water
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. spring — a coil
  9. current — happening now
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. sharp — clever
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. spring — the season
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. vault — a safe
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. lash — an eyelash

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