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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: field · ruler · suit · pitcher · key · track · wound · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. field — for sport
  3. wound — an injury
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — in music
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. field — a subject
  10. track — a path
  11. track — a song
  12. clip — for paper
  13. suit — to fit
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wound — an injury
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. suit — in cards
  19. field — farmland
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. suit — clothes
  23. track — to keep track
  24. clip — a video

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