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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. track — a path
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. key — the most important part
  6. game — a match
  7. current — happening now
  8. track — a song
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. current — of water
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. pitch — completely
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. mark — a trace
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. key — in music
  19. key — for a lock
  20. bat — the animal
  21. current — electric
  22. game — wild animals
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. track — to keep track

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