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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. suit — to fit
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. staff — a stick
  6. current — happening now
  7. last — finally
  8. key — in music
  9. stem — to come from
  10. last — final
  11. suit — clothes
  12. current — electric
  13. sharp — clever
  14. current — of water
  15. suit — in cards
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. last — to go on
  20. key — the most important part
  21. staff — employees
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. staff — employees
  24. perch — for a bird

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