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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 piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. pop — music
  3. net — after costs
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pop — soda
  9. vault — a safe
  10. net — for catching
  11. key — the most important part
  12. mine — for digging
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. pop — to visit
  16. field — farmland
  17. net — in sport
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. key — for a lock
  21. band — a ring
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — for sport
  24. band — a music group

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