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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. current — of water
  4. clip — for paper
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. wind — moving air
  7. current — electric
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. bank — for money
  10. current — happening now
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. clip — to cut
  15. vault — a safe
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pitch — completely
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. sharp — clever
  21. clip — a video
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bank — for money

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