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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — for a lock
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — of water
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. cold — not warm
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. ground — crushed
  11. current — electric
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cold — an illness
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. ground — the earth
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bulb — for light
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ground — a position
  24. trunk — of a car

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