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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — for sport
  3. wind — moving air
  4. date — the fruit
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. wind — moving air
  8. key — for a lock
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — in music
  17. pass — a permit
  18. field — farmland
  19. sharp — clever
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — to spend time

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