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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. current — happening now
  4. rest — what's left
  5. current — electric
  6. cold — not warm
  7. last — final
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. pound — a weight
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — the most important part
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. last — to go on
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. key — in music
  17. fork — in a road
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. last — finally
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — an illness
  23. current — of water
  24. rest — what's left

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