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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. key — for a lock
  3. current — electric
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. land — a country
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. court — of law
  8. staff — a stick
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. staff — employees
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. staff — employees
  13. snap — to click
  14. key — the most important part
  15. land — to come down
  16. court — for sport
  17. current — of water
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. court — of a king
  20. perch — the fish
  21. land — ground
  22. key — in music
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. current — happening now

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