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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: racket · ball · march · fan · wound · vault · current · file

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. file — a line of people
  4. current — happening now
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. ball — a great time
  7. wound — an injury
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. file — a tool
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. current — of water
  13. march — the month
  14. ball — a dance
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wound — an injury
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — a safe
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. file — a document
  24. fan — to cool the air

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