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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. board — a committee
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. file — a tool
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bat — the animal
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. key — for a lock
  12. band — a ring
  13. board — to get on
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. band — a music group
  16. key — in music
  17. file — a document
  18. mug — a face
  19. file — a line of people
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — to rob

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