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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 120 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 · current · present · key · vault · drill · snap · land

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. current — happening now
  4. key — in music
  5. present — there
  6. shower — to wash
  7. drill — the tool
  8. land — to come down
  9. key — the most important part
  10. drill — army training
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. land — ground
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. current — of water
  16. drill — a practice
  17. snap — to click
  18. present — a gift
  19. current — electric
  20. present — the time now
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. key — for a lock
  23. vault — a safe
  24. land — a country

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