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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.

Make a worksheet

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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  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. track — a path
  2. key — the most important part
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. track — to keep track
  7. rash — a series
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wind — moving air
  11. key — in music
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. track — a song
  14. rash — hasty
  15. fine — all right
  16. key — for a lock
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. pitch — completely
  23. rash — on the skin
  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