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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. rest — a break
  3. bass — low music
  4. rest — what's left
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. key — the most important part
  9. field — a subject
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. key — in music
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bass — the fish
  14. snap — to click
  15. field — farmland
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cap — a hat
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. cap — of ice
  24. wave — of the sea

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