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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. key — for a lock
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. field — for sport
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a committee
  9. roll — a list
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. clip — for paper
  12. charge — a price
  13. clip — a video
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. charge — electricity
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — a subject
  18. mine — for digging
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. key — in music
  21. charge — in control
  22. clip — to cut
  23. roll — a cake
  24. key — the most important part

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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