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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. squash — the sport
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bear — the animal
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bear — the animal
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. game — wild animals
  9. current — of water
  10. current — electric
  11. rule — government
  12. march — the month
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. march — music
  17. squash — to crush
  18. rule — a law
  19. key — in music
  20. game — a match
  21. march — the month
  22. dip — to sink
  23. key — the most important part
  24. bear — to put up with

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