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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 120 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. current — electric
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bark — to shout
  7. rash — a series
  8. cap — a lid
  9. key — the most important part
  10. net — for catching
  11. chest — of your body
  12. net — after costs
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. cap — of ice
  15. current — of water
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. key — in music
  19. chest — a box
  20. current — happening now
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. cap — a hat

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