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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 124 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. fall — to drop
  3. snap — to click
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fall — the season
  6. current — electric
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. ball — a dance
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. current — of water
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. fall — to drop
  23. vault — a safe
  24. ball — a great time

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