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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: kick · field · saw · mine · current · scale · key · cue

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. saw — the tool
  3. key — in music
  4. field — a subject
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. field — for sport
  7. key — for a lock
  8. kick — in football
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. scale — size or range
  13. current — electric
  14. field — farmland
  15. mine — for digging
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cue — for pool
  19. current — of water
  20. current — happening now
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. cue — a signal
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. saw — the tool

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