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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: object · tear · cold · cell · track · pitcher · key · current

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. object — an aim
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cell — in biology
  5. track — a path
  6. current — of water
  7. object — a thing
  8. cell — a phone
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cold — an illness
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. track — to keep track
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — electric
  15. key — in music
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. key — for a lock
  19. tear — to rip
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. track — a song
  22. object — to protest
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — the Cold War

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