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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 120 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. snap — to click
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. net — after costs
  6. land — to come down
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. net — for catching
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. land — ground
  15. land — a country
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. net — in sport
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. current — happening now
  23. current — electric
  24. vault — a safe

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