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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 116 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. mate — to breed
  3. face — part of the head
  4. current — happening now
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. tear — from crying
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — to point toward
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. current — of water
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. tear — to rip
  17. snap — to click
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mate — a partner
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. mate — a friend

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