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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. mine — for digging
  3. current — electric
  4. current — happening now
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — wild animals
  9. file — a document
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. game — a match
  12. fork — in a road
  13. capital — money
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — a safe
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. dip — to sink
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. capital — a city
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. current — of water
  24. dip — to dunk

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