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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. current — happening now
  4. band — a music group
  5. current — of water
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — a phone
  10. hand — in cards
  11. ball — a dance
  12. current — electric
  13. hand — help
  14. cell — in biology
  15. key — for a lock
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. key — in music
  19. band — a ring
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. ball — a great time
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. band — a rubber band

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