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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. club — a group
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. current — happening now
  11. club — for golf
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. current — of water
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — to cut
  18. current — electric
  19. clip — for paper
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mine — for digging
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. club — for dancing
  24. key — in music

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