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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 116 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. content — the amount
  3. squash — the sport
  4. content — happy
  5. field — a subject
  6. key — the most important part
  7. field — farmland
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. cap — a lid
  10. suit — clothes
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. field — for sport
  14. key — in music
  15. cap — of ice
  16. suit — to fit
  17. current — of water
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. squash — to crush
  20. current — electric
  21. key — for a lock
  22. current — happening now
  23. cap — a hat
  24. content — videos and posts

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