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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. chest — of your body
  3. current — happening now
  4. game — a match
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. key — for a lock
  7. game — wild animals
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. ground — the earth
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. current — of water
  13. fine — high quality
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. ground — a position
  16. key — in music
  17. current — electric
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. kick — in football
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. key — the most important part
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — a box
  24. ground — crushed

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