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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 is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. land — ground
  4. key — in music
  5. net — for catching
  6. land — a country
  7. fall — the season
  8. track — to keep track
  9. current — electric
  10. race — a contest
  11. current — happening now
  12. track — a path
  13. land — to come down
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — the most important part
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. race — the arms race
  19. current — of water
  20. net — after costs
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — to drop
  23. race — humankind
  24. net — in sport

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