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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.

Make a worksheet

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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. key — the most important part
  3. tear — to rip
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. current — of water
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. court — of law
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — in music
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. kick — in football
  16. court — of a king
  17. file — a document
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. court — for sport
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. file — a tool
  22. current — happening now
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. current — electric

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