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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  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. toast — bread
  2. current — electric
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. key — in music
  6. file — a tool
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — for a lock
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a line of people
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. current — of water
  15. rush — hurry
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. rest — what's left
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. snap — to click
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. current — happening now
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  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