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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 116 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. current — of water
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. key — for a lock
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. mug — a face
  9. current — happening now
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. key — in music
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. current — electric
  17. mug — to rob
  18. dip — to sink
  19. chair — a leader
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. mug — a cup
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. fork — in a road
  24. key — the most important part

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