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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hide · scale · object · race · key · current · march · squash

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — to protest
  4. march — the month
  5. race — humankind
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. key — in music
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. key — for a lock
  11. scale — in music
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. march — the month
  14. race — the arms race
  15. march — music
  16. squash — the sport
  17. current — electric
  18. object — a thing
  19. race — a contest
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. current — of water
  22. scale — size or range
  23. key — the most important part
  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