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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. current — electric
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. ball — a dance
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. pitch — completely
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. current — of water
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. current — happening now
  20. branch — a division
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. vault — a safe
  24. cold — an illness

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