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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. shower — to wash
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a tool
  11. current — happening now
  12. fall — to drop
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. file — a document
  15. shower — rain
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. vault — a safe
  19. current — of water
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. board — to get on
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. current — electric
  24. prune — the fruit

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