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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — of water
  3. key — the most important part
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. current — happening now
  6. ground — crushed
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. saw — the tool
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. hand — help
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. hand — in cards
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — a position
  21. key — in music
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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