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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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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: straw · craft · bore · current · game · hide · scale · key

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. key — the most important part
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. current — electric
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. game — a match
  9. bore — to tire
  10. key — in music
  11. craft — boats
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. key — for a lock
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. game — wild animals
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — in music
  20. current — happening now
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bore — to drill
  23. craft — a skill
  24. hide — to keep secret

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