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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. field — for sport
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rash — a series
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. ground — a position
  11. rash — hasty
  12. pass — a permit
  13. plane — a tool
  14. key — in music
  15. field — a subject
  16. ground — crushed
  17. field — farmland
  18. saw — the tool
  19. key — the most important part
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. rash — on the skin

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