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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. key — for a lock
  3. current — happening now
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — a subject
  6. wind — moving air
  7. current — electric
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. key — the most important part
  10. sharp — clever
  11. chest — a box
  12. current — of water
  13. suit — in cards
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. chest — of your body
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. wind — moving air
  18. chest — of your body
  19. suit — clothes
  20. suit — to fit
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. key — in music
  23. field — for sport
  24. wind — to turn a key

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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