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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  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. mark — a grade
  2. current — electric
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. key — for a lock
  8. cold — an illness
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. key — the most important part
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bore — to tire
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. mark — a trace
  18. current — happening now
  19. clip — a video
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bore — to drill
  22. clip — to cut
  23. key — in music
  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