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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: key · last · face · current · stand · mate · jam · file

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. current — happening now
  3. last — to go on
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. face — to confront
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. face — part of the head
  8. last — final
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — for a lock
  11. last — finally
  12. mate — a partner
  13. current — of water
  14. stand — to bear
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. file — a line of people
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — to breed
  20. face — to point toward
  21. key — in music
  22. file — a document
  23. current — electric
  24. file — a tool

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