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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. current — electric
  3. vault — a safe
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. track — a song
  7. mate — to breed
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. current — happening now
  11. mate — a friend
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. current — of water
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. track — to keep track
  17. cold — an illness
  18. content — happy
  19. track — a path
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. content — the amount
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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