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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. last — finally
  3. current — of water
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. snap — to click
  6. rash — a series
  7. land — to come down
  8. current — happening now
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. land — ground
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. current — electric
  14. bear — the animal
  15. vault — a safe
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. land — a country
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. hide — animal skin

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