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

Word bank: rule · swing · mine · current · vault · clip · cap · arm

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. current — happening now
  4. clip — for paper
  5. swing — in golf
  6. clip — to cut
  7. cap — a lid
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rule — a law
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. current — electric
  14. swing — music
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. swing — to play on
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. current — of water
  21. cap — a hat
  22. rule — government
  23. vault — a safe
  24. clip — a video

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