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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: hand · pit · fan · rush · key · current · rest · spell

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pit — a hole
  5. key — in music
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. rest — a break
  9. current — electric
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — hurry
  12. current — happening now
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. current — of water
  15. key — for a lock
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. rest — what's left
  18. spell — magic
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pit — in a race
  21. spell — letters
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. spell — a short time

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