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

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. tear — from crying
  3. current — happening now
  4. key — for a lock
  5. club — for golf
  6. current — of water
  7. root — of a plant
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. net — for catching
  12. tear — from crying
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. root — the cause
  15. club — a group
  16. tear — to rip
  17. current — electric
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. club — for dancing
  21. root — of a word
  22. band — a ring
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — in music

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