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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: straw · lie · wake · race · present · squash · current · key

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  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. present — the time now
  2. current — electric
  3. race — a contest
  4. current — of water
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. lie — to recline
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. squash — the sport
  9. current — happening now
  10. key — in music
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. race — the arms race
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — a trail
  16. squash — to crush
  17. key — the most important part
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. present — a gift
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. race — humankind
  23. present — there
  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