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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 116 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: kid · vault · saw · mate · current · cold · suit · bear

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. vault — a safe
  3. current — happening now
  4. mate — to breed
  5. kid — to tease
  6. current — of water
  7. cold — not warm
  8. suit — to fit
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. suit — in cards
  11. bear — the animal
  12. kid — child
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. saw — the tool
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cold — an illness
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — a partner
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. suit — clothes

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