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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. object — an aim
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. object — to protest
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. key — in music
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. key — the most important part
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. key — for a lock
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mark — a trace
  20. object — a thing
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. mark — a grade

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