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

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. current — electric
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bound — tied together
  6. pit — in a race
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bound — obliged
  10. plane — a tool
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. current — happening now
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bound — certain
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. pit — a hole
  19. key — the most important part
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. prune — to trim
  22. key — in music
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. current — of water

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