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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. current — of water
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. key — in music
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. key — the most important part
  11. current — electric
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. current — happening now
  14. mark — a grade
  15. key — for a lock
  16. row — a line
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — there
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. present — a gift
  22. row — to paddle
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. mark — a trace

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