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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  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. key — for a lock
  3. can — a tin
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — music
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. current — happening now
  12. capital — money
  13. can — a tin
  14. key — in music
  15. current — of water
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. capital — a city
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. can — to be able to
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. mouse — the animal
  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