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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 116 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. field — a subject
  5. key — in music
  6. staff — employees
  7. rest — a break
  8. key — for a lock
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. field — farmland
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. net — for catching
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. staff — a stick
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. net — in sport
  20. key — the most important part
  21. net — after costs
  22. staff — employees
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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