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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. current — happening now
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. current — electric
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. cap — a lid
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cap — a hat
  13. clip — to cut
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. clip — for paper
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cold — not warm
  18. clip — a video
  19. cold — an illness
  20. current — of water
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. vault — a safe
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to sink

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