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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. clip — a video
  3. field — farmland
  4. stand — to bear
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. key — in music
  8. field — for sport
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. rash — hasty
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. field — a subject
  15. charge — in control
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. key — for a lock
  18. rash — a series
  19. clip — to cut
  20. charge — electricity
  21. charge — a price
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. clip — for paper
  24. mate — a friend

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