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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cue — a hint
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — of water
  6. key — for a lock
  7. current — of water
  8. row — a line
  9. cue — for pool
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. object — a thing
  12. cue — a signal
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. current — happening now
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — happy
  17. row — to paddle
  18. key — the most important part
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. object — an aim
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. object — to protest
  23. key — in music
  24. spring — a coil

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