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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. current — electric
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bound — certain
  5. season — of the year
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. key — in music
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bound — obliged
  11. key — the most important part
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. spring — of water
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. current — happening now
  19. season — in sport
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. sharp — clever
  22. current — of water
  23. key — for a lock
  24. pitcher — a jug

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