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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 120 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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. net — in sport
  5. chest — of your body
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. present — a gift
  8. net — for catching
  9. chest — a box
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — for a lock
  14. present — the time now
  15. saw — the tool
  16. field — for sport
  17. saw — the tool
  18. net — after costs
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. chest — of your body
  22. field — a subject
  23. present — there
  24. field — farmland

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