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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. file — a line of people
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bank — of a river
  5. file — a document
  6. bank — for money
  7. mine — for digging
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. mark — a trace
  11. hand — in cards
  12. file — a tool
  13. key — for a lock
  14. hand — help
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bank — for money
  18. mark — a grade
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. key — in music
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. wound — an injury

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