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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. rock — a stone
  6. key — in music
  7. game — a match
  8. current — electric
  9. key — the most important part
  10. current — of water
  11. fine — high quality
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. fine — all right
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. key — for a lock
  19. saw — the tool
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. current — happening now
  24. pitch — completely

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