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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. scale — size or range
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. scale — in music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. shower — rain
  9. current — electric
  10. current — of water
  11. key — for a lock
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. tear — from crying
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. current — happening now
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cell — in biology
  18. tear — from crying
  19. shower — to wash
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. tear — to rip
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. key — in music

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