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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. mark — a grade
  5. game — a match
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. key — in music
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. field — farmland
  16. bass — the fish
  17. sharp — clever
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mark — a trace
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. key — the most important part
  22. field — for sport
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. key — for a lock

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