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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.

Make a worksheet

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: file · fan · stick · current · sharp · wound · cap · vault

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. cap — of ice
  5. file — a tool
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. current — electric
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. wound — an injury
  10. current — happening now
  11. cap — a hat
  12. wound — an injury
  13. vault — a safe
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. sharp — clever
  17. file — a line of people
  18. cap — a lid
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. file — a document
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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