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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: key · chair · squash · current · shower · land · object · fork

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. chair — a leader
  3. squash — to crush
  4. object — to protest
  5. current — happening now
  6. shower — to wash
  7. current — electric
  8. land — to come down
  9. key — in music
  10. fork — in a road
  11. object — a thing
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. object — an aim
  16. squash — the sport
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. key — the most important part
  21. land — a country
  22. shower — rain
  23. current — of water
  24. land — ground

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