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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. current — of water
  3. mine — for digging
  4. chest — of your body
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. current — happening now
  7. rash — a series
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. current — electric
  11. rash — hasty
  12. key — the most important part
  13. chest — a box
  14. staff — employees
  15. key — for a lock
  16. last — finally
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — a tool
  19. last — final
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. chest — of your body
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. key — in music

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