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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cell — a phone
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. land — ground
  8. key — in music
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. land — to come down
  11. cell — in biology
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. game — a match
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. key — for a lock
  19. track — a song
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a path
  23. land — a country
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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