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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. current — of water
  7. spell — magic
  8. key — the most important part
  9. rock — a stone
  10. key — in music
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. key — for a lock
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. saw — the tool
  15. current — electric
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bat — the animal
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. rock — music
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. spell — a short time
  22. current — happening now
  23. spell — letters
  24. cabinet — ministers

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