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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. current — electric
  3. kid — child
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. fall — the season
  6. current — happening now
  7. rush — hurry
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. current — of water
  10. drill — a practice
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. pop — soda
  13. kid — to tease
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pop — to visit
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. pop — music
  20. drill — army training
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rule — government
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — a safe

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