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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 120 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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. key — in music
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. clip — a video
  6. track — a path
  7. root — the cause
  8. track — a song
  9. key — the most important part
  10. ball — a great time
  11. current — happening now
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. clip — for paper
  14. current — of water
  15. mine — for digging
  16. root — of a word
  17. object — to protest
  18. clip — to cut
  19. current — electric
  20. track — to keep track
  21. key — for a lock
  22. object — a thing
  23. ball — a dance
  24. root — of a plant

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