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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. vault — a safe
  5. current — of water
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. current — happening now
  8. last — final
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. saw — the tool
  14. last — finally
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. current — electric
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. last — to go on
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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