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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. firm — a company
  3. key — the most important part
  4. kid — child
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. key — in music
  7. kid — to tease
  8. key — for a lock
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. field — for sport
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mate — a partner
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. mate — a friend
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. rash — a series
  20. firm — steady
  21. band — a ring
  22. mate — to breed
  23. foot — a measure
  24. firm — decided

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