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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. field — for sport
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — in music
  6. chest — a box
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. field — farmland
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. field — a subject
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. chest — of your body
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. lie — to recline
  18. pass — a permit
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. date — the fruit
  21. key — the most important part
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. chest — of your body
  24. arm — a part of something

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