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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rush — hurry
  3. key — in music
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fine — all right
  7. rest — what's left
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. current — electric
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. fine — high quality
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — of water
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — for a lock
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. field — farmland

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