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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. key — the most important part
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. can — to be able to
  5. wound — an injury
  6. key — for a lock
  7. current — electric
  8. can — a tin
  9. pound — a weight
  10. root — the cause
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — for sport
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. wound — an injury
  16. key — in music
  17. root — of a plant
  18. can — a tin
  19. field — a subject
  20. current — of water
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. root — of a word
  23. current — happening now
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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