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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. current — happening now
  5. mug — to rob
  6. last — final
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. current — of water
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. last — finally
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — a face
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. deal — to handle
  16. wound — an injury
  17. sharp — clever
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. current — electric
  20. vault — a safe
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. wound — an injury
  24. last — to go on

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