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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. board — a committee
  3. net — for catching
  4. key — in music
  5. current — happening now
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bound — tied together
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. root — of a word
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. current — of water
  13. root — the cause
  14. net — after costs
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bound — obliged
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. kick — in football
  19. net — in sport
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. current — electric
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — to get on
  24. bound — certain

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