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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. current — electric
  4. key — the most important part
  5. foot — a measure
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. key — for a lock
  9. game — wild animals
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wind — moving air
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — of water
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. key — in music
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. sharp — clever
  21. wind — moving air
  22. game — a match
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bulb — for light

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