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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. current — happening now
  4. bank — for money
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bank — for money
  10. foot — a measure
  11. current — of water
  12. band — a ring
  13. bank — of a river
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. swing — to play on
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — music
  21. band — a music group
  22. key — in music
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. current — electric

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