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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — the most important part
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — army training
  12. current — electric
  13. key — in music
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. rush — hurry
  16. current — of water
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. drill — a practice
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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