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

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. current — electric
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. key — in music
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. field — farmland
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. fine — all right
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. current — happening now
  23. current — of water
  24. key — for a lock

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