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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bat — the animal
  4. content — happy
  5. key — the most important part
  6. pass — a permit
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. date — the fruit
  9. field — farmland
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. field — for sport
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. key — in music
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. lie — to recline
  21. key — for a lock
  22. content — the amount
  23. field — a subject
  24. bat — for baseball

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