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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. mark — a grade
  6. chest — of your body
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. march — the month
  9. chest — a box
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. key — in music
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. key — for a lock
  14. field — farmland
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mate — a partner
  18. march — music
  19. wake — a trail
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. chest — of your body
  22. mate — to breed
  23. march — the month
  24. key — the most important part

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