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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. vault — a safe
  3. date — the fruit
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wind — moving air
  6. content — happy
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. current — happening now
  12. rule — a law
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. content — the amount
  21. wind — moving air
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. current — of water

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