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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 116 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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Word bank
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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: key · mate · leaves · current · cold · shower · game · row

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. cold — not warm
  3. shower — rain
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. shower — to wash
  6. key — in music
  7. current — electric
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. row — a line
  11. current — of water
  12. key — for a lock
  13. mate — a partner
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. game — wild animals
  16. row — to paddle
  17. mate — to breed
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. game — a match
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. key — the most important part
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. cold — an illness
  24. mate — a friend

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