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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. key — in music
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — a leader
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — of water
  11. bank — of a river
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. can — a tin
  15. current — electric
  16. key — for a lock
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bank — for money
  19. can — a tin
  20. bank — for money
  21. net — after costs
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. can — to be able to
  24. mouse — for a computer

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