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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. key — the most important part
  3. charge — in control
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — a price
  6. rush — hurry
  7. ground — crushed
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. net — for catching
  10. scale — size or range
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. current — electric
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — in music
  15. ground — the earth
  16. current — of water
  17. net — in sport
  18. key — for a lock
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. key — in music
  21. current — happening now
  22. net — after costs
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — to hurry

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