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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. key — for a lock
  3. current — happening now
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. current — of water
  6. key — in music
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. club — for golf
  9. staff — a stick
  10. lean — thin
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. club — for dancing
  13. fork — in a road
  14. key — the most important part
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. club — a group
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a match
  23. current — electric
  24. game — a kind of play

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