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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. current — of water
  3. key — in music
  4. current — electric
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bat — the animal
  7. game — a match
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. current — happening now
  16. prune — to trim
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. game — wild animals
  20. prune — to trim
  21. key — for a lock
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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