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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 120 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 ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bank — for money
  3. track — a song
  4. track — a path
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. key — for a lock
  7. content — happy
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. mine — for digging
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. bank — for money
  13. track — to keep track
  14. field — a subject
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. key — in music
  19. pass — a permit
  20. bank — of a river
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. content — the amount

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