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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. mate — a partner
  4. track — a path
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. row — to paddle
  7. mate — a friend
  8. land — to come down
  9. track — to keep track
  10. present — there
  11. land — ground
  12. chip — for betting
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. mate — to breed
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — a line
  17. key — for a lock
  18. chip — to eat
  19. present — a gift
  20. key — in music
  21. land — a country
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. track — a song
  24. present — the time now

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