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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. key — for a lock
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stem — to come from
  5. current — electric
  6. bass — the fish
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. fine — high quality
  9. current — of water
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. key — in music
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bass — low music
  14. race — the arms race
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bat — the animal
  18. key — the most important part
  19. current — happening now
  20. fine — all right
  21. race — a contest
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. race — humankind
  24. bass — the instrument

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