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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. pop — soda
  3. march — music
  4. pop — to visit
  5. rock — music
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. field — a subject
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. cap — a lid
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. march — the month
  12. key — in music
  13. march — the month
  14. key — the most important part
  15. cap — of ice
  16. rock — a stone
  17. chip — for betting
  18. chip — to eat
  19. cap — a hat
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. field — farmland
  23. pop — music
  24. field — for sport

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