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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.

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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · clip · saw · calf · key · foot · cue · mine

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. key — the most important part
  3. field — for sport
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — in music
  6. foot — a measure
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cue — a signal
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. mine — for digging
  16. field — farmland
  17. cue — a hint
  18. clip — for paper
  19. cue — for pool
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — to cut
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. calf — a young animal

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