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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. current — happening now
  4. snap — to click
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. shower — to wash
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. club — for dancing
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. club — a group
  17. club — for golf
  18. current — of water
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. shower — rain
  23. vault — a safe
  24. kid — child

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