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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: march · key · file · cabinet · deal · current

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. key — for a lock
  3. current — electric
  4. key — in music
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. key — the most important part
  7. march — the month
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. march — the month
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. current — happening now
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. deal — to handle
  14. file — a line of people
  15. current — of water
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a document
  18. cabinet — ministers

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