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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. band — a music group
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. cold — an illness
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. key — in music
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. current — electric
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. current — happening now
  14. wake — a trail
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. band — a ring
  19. key — for a lock
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. cold — not warm
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. current — of water

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