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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. can — to be able to
  3. current — of water
  4. pound — a weight
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. key — in music
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. can — a tin
  10. hand — help
  11. key — for a lock
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. roll — a cake
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. can — a tin
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. current — electric
  21. roll — a list
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. current — happening now

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