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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: bass · current · key · temple · field · cold · perch · cabinet

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. key — for a lock
  3. perch — the fish
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. bass — low music
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. field — farmland
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. current — electric
  11. current — happening now
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — not warm
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. field — for sport
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. key — in music
  19. bass — the fish
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. field — a subject
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. key — the most important part
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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