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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 116 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wound — an injury
  4. key — in music
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cue — a signal
  8. scale — size or range
  9. key — the most important part
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. scale — in music
  12. current — happening now
  13. cue — a hint
  14. current — electric
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. shower — rain
  21. march — the month
  22. cue — for pool
  23. shower — to wash
  24. current — of water

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