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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. cell — in biology
  3. spell — a short time
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mate — a partner
  6. cell — a phone
  7. spell — letters
  8. vault — a safe
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. tube — the underground
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. current — of water
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. wind — moving air
  15. tube — a container
  16. mate — to breed
  17. current — electric
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — a leader
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. spell — magic
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. mate — a friend

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