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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. field — a subject
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. field — farmland
  8. prune — to trim
  9. dip — to sink
  10. wind — moving air
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. fine — all right
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — in music
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. key — the most important part
  23. fine — high quality
  24. prune — to trim

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