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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 shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. key — the most important part
  3. band — a ring
  4. current — of water
  5. fine — all right
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. key — for a lock
  10. band — a music group
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. mark — a trace
  15. current — happening now
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. mark — a grade
  18. key — in music
  19. field — a subject
  20. dip — to sink
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. current — electric

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