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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rock — music
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. key — for a lock
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. clip — a video
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. hand — in cards
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. foot — a measure
  18. rock — a stone
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — to cut
  22. hand — help
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cabinet — ministers

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