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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: fall · current · key · date · last · scale · saw · firm

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. last — final
  3. key — for a lock
  4. firm — a company
  5. date — the fruit
  6. fall — to drop
  7. current — happening now
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. fall — to drop
  10. scale — in music
  11. last — finally
  12. key — the most important part
  13. firm — decided
  14. key — in music
  15. firm — steady
  16. current — of water
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. scale — size or range
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. fall — the season
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. last — to go on
  24. scale — for weighing

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