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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 124 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. hand — in cards
  3. wake — a trail
  4. date — the fruit
  5. key — for a lock
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. key — in music
  11. current — happening now
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. current — electric
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. chair — a leader
  18. current — of water
  19. game — a match
  20. hand — help
  21. game — wild animals
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. key — the most important part

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