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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  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. firm — a company
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. key — for a lock
  4. wind — moving air
  5. current — electric
  6. cell — a phone
  7. current — of water
  8. firm — steady
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rash — hasty
  12. cell — in biology
  13. prune — to trim
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. rash — a series
  17. current — happening now
  18. wind — moving air
  19. firm — decided
  20. key — the most important part
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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