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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 120 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. key — for a lock
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. key — the most important part
  5. clip — a video
  6. key — in music
  7. mate — to breed
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. board — to get on
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. mate — a friend
  14. clip — for paper
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. clip — to cut
  17. pound — a weight
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mate — a partner
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. board — a committee
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. mine — belonging to me

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