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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bulb · current · suit · toast · march · cold · lean · vault

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. toast — bread
  4. bulb — for light
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. vault — a safe
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. bulb — for light
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. current — happening now
  12. suit — to fit
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. march — the month
  15. current — of water
  16. suit — in cards
  17. lean — thin
  18. cold — an illness
  19. suit — clothes
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. cold — not warm
  23. current — electric
  24. cold — the Cold War

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