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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. board — to get on
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. key — the most important part
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. tear — from crying
  8. field — a subject
  9. wound — an injury
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — a video
  12. wound — an injury
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. rock — a stone
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. field — farmland
  18. key — for a lock
  19. clip — to cut
  20. rock — music
  21. field — for sport
  22. tear — from crying
  23. board — a committee
  24. tear — to rip

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