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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. field — a subject
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. key — the most important part
  8. mate — a friend
  9. scale — in music
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. field — farmland
  13. date — the fruit
  14. current — electric
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. key — in music
  18. current — of water
  19. current — happening now
  20. field — for sport
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mate — a partner
  23. scale — size or range
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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