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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. deal — to handle
  3. chair — a leader
  4. key — for a lock
  5. current — happening now
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. dip — to sink
  8. key — in music
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. current — of water
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. fall — to drop
  24. current — electric

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