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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: shower · face · bark · snap · current · vault · pit · key

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. current — happening now
  4. shower — rain
  5. snap — to click
  6. shower — to wash
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. current — of water
  10. key — in music
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. bark — to shout
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. face — to point toward
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. key — the most important part
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. current — electric

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