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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 116 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mark — a trace
  4. field — for sport
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. spring — a coil
  8. key — the most important part
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. field — farmland
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mark — a grade
  15. key — in music
  16. field — a subject
  17. perch — the fish
  18. mark — to pay attention

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