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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. fork — in a road
  3. band — a ring
  4. current — happening now
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. last — to go on
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. band — a music group
  10. kid — to tease
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. last — finally
  13. current — of water
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — a video
  17. key — the most important part
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. key — in music
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. kid — child
  22. current — electric
  23. last — final
  24. safe — out of danger

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