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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. key — for a lock
  3. current — electric
  4. row — to paddle
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. key — in music
  8. band — a ring
  9. wound — an injury
  10. net — in sport
  11. band — a music group
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pass — a permit
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. net — after costs
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. row — a line
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. current — happening now
  20. scale — in music
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. key — the most important part
  23. current — of water
  24. scale — size or range

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