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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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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: land · roll · current · rush · lean · toast · key · bat

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. current — of water
  3. roll — a cake
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — in music
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. roll — a list
  8. current — electric
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. lean — to bend
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. land — a country
  13. toast — bread
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. land — ground
  17. bat — the animal
  18. current — happening now
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. lean — thin
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. land — to come down
  24. key — for a lock

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