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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. roll — a list
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. roll — a cake
  6. field — for sport
  7. key — for a lock
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. field — a subject
  11. foot — a measure
  12. content — the amount
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. key — in music
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — happy
  19. mug — a cup
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. mug — to rob
  22. field — farmland
  23. mug — a face
  24. can — a tin

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