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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 116 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. track — a song
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. track — a path
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. key — for a lock
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. track — to keep track
  9. land — a country
  10. sharp — clever
  11. land — to come down
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. land — ground
  15. content — happy
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. key — the most important part
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — to tire
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. content — the amount
  24. bore — gave birth

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