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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. key — the most important part
  3. ground — crushed
  4. key — for a lock
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. chip — to eat
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. current — happening now
  13. chip — for betting
  14. ground — the earth
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. key — in music
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. current — electric
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. ground — a position
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. current — of water
  24. chest — of your body

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