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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 116 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. current — electric
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. snap — to click
  7. bank — for money
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. current — happening now
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. current — of water
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mate — a partner
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bank — for money
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. key — the most important part
  19. squash — the sport
  20. mate — a friend
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. key — for a lock
  23. key — in music
  24. bank — of a river

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