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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. key — in music
  3. key — the most important part
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. key — for a lock
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. clip — a video
  8. board — a committee
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. board — to get on
  11. field — for sport
  12. clip — for paper
  13. pass — a permit
  14. clip — to cut
  15. spring — a coil
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. spring — the season
  20. bear — the animal
  21. spring — of water
  22. field — a subject
  23. bear — the animal
  24. saw — the tool

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