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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  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. stem — of a plant
  2. vault — a safe
  3. current — electric
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. drill — a practice
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. stem — to come from
  19. current — happening now
  20. pitch — completely
  21. current — of water
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — army training
  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