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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 116 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. track — a song
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. cell — a phone
  5. net — in sport
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. net — after costs
  8. track — a path
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. race — a contest
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. race — the arms race
  14. fine — all right
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. land — ground
  17. net — for catching
  18. cell — in biology
  19. track — to keep track
  20. land — a country
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fine — high quality
  23. land — to come down
  24. race — humankind

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