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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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. drill — a practice
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pound — a weight
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. current — happening now
  9. root — of a word
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. root — of a plant
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. drill — army training
  14. key — for a lock
  15. root — the cause
  16. key — in music
  17. current — of water
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. drill — the tool
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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