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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. current — happening now
  3. vault — a safe
  4. land — to come down
  5. bound — certain
  6. current — electric
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. chest — a box
  9. bound — tied together
  10. charge — in control
  11. chest — of your body
  12. wind — moving air
  13. land — a country
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. chest — of your body
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. charge — electricity
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. bound — obliged
  20. pass — a permit
  21. land — ground
  22. charge — a price
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. current — of water

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