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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bound — obliged
  3. fine — all right
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bound — certain
  9. press — newspapers
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. press — to push
  13. bound — tied together
  14. fine — high quality
  15. field — for sport
  16. key — for a lock
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. key — in music
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — farmland
  24. press — a publisher

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