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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. track — a song
  3. current — of water
  4. tube — the underground
  5. present — there
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. key — in music
  9. pitch — completely
  10. clip — for paper
  11. key — for a lock
  12. current — happening now
  13. present — a gift
  14. tube — a container
  15. current — electric
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. track — to keep track
  19. clip — a video
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. clip — to cut
  23. present — the time now
  24. track — a path

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