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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. key — the most important part
  3. tube — the underground
  4. row — to paddle
  5. current — electric
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. spring — a coil
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. spring — the season
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. last — to go on
  12. key — in music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. plane — a tool
  15. spring — of water
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. current — happening now
  19. last — final
  20. tube — a container
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. current — of water
  24. last — finally

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