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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. fall — the season
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. key — for a lock
  6. cue — a hint
  7. capital — money
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. cue — for pool
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. key — in music
  14. current — of water
  15. tear — from crying
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. fall — to drop
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — electric
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. capital — a city
  22. cue — a signal
  23. plane — a tool
  24. fall — to drop

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