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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. chip — for betting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. march — the month
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. key — in music
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wax — to grow
  9. mate — to breed
  10. spell — magic
  11. key — for a lock
  12. field — a subject
  13. pass — a permit
  14. march — music
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. march — the month
  17. spell — letters
  18. mate — a partner
  19. field — farmland
  20. spell — a short time
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. key — the most important part

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