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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: firm · chair · key · snap · saw · current · squash · mate

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. mate — to breed
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. saw — the tool
  5. snap — to click
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. key — in music
  8. chair — a leader
  9. current — of water
  10. squash — to crush
  11. firm — steady
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. saw — the tool
  14. squash — the sport
  15. firm — a company
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — a partner
  19. key — for a lock
  20. current — electric
  21. firm — decided
  22. current — happening now
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. squash — the vegetable

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