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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. rock — music
  3. current — happening now
  4. scale — in music
  5. current — electric
  6. season — of the year
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. season — in sport
  9. stem — to come from
  10. file — a line of people
  11. content — the amount
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. scale — size or range
  15. vault — a safe
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. content — happy
  18. rock — a stone
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. current — of water
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a document
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. stem — of a plant

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