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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. band — a ring
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. chip — for betting
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. roll — a list
  7. key — in music
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. chip — to eat
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. key — for a lock
  15. band — a music group
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. field — farmland
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. roll — a cake
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — for sport
  24. fork — in a road

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