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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. key — the most important part
  4. row — to paddle
  5. current — electric
  6. track — a path
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a song
  10. current — happening now
  11. game — wild animals
  12. land — a country
  13. pit — in a race
  14. game — a match
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. current — of water
  17. mine — for digging
  18. key — for a lock
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — ground
  22. pit — a hole
  23. row — a line
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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