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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. key — for a lock
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. squash — to crush
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. key — the most important part
  8. squash — the sport
  9. hand — in cards
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. toast — bread
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. hand — help
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — of water
  19. net — for catching
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. key — in music
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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