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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. current — electric
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. current — of water
  6. vault — a safe
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. squash — the sport
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. current — happening now
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. ball — a great time
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wind — moving air
  20. ball — a dance
  21. stem — to come from
  22. sharp — clever
  23. wind — moving air
  24. squash — to crush

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