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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. clip — to cut
  5. lean — thin
  6. track — to keep track
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. track — a path
  9. key — in music
  10. can — a tin
  11. clip — for paper
  12. can — a tin
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. can — to be able to
  18. key — for a lock
  19. mine — for digging
  20. toast — bread
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. clip — a video
  24. track — a song

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