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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. lean — to bend
  4. key — in music
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. current — electric
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — to come from
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. current — of water
  12. lean — thin
  13. game — wild animals
  14. current — happening now
  15. game — a match
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — a partner
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mate — to breed
  20. can — a tin
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. key — the most important part

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