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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. current — of water
  3. cell — a phone
  4. scale — size or range
  5. key — for a lock
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. key — the most important part
  9. scale — in music
  10. current — electric
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. row — to paddle
  14. cell — in biology
  15. file — a tool
  16. pound — a weight
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a document
  19. current — happening now
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. key — in music
  24. pound — to hit hard

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