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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. perch — the fish
  5. key — the most important part
  6. firm — steady
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. spring — of water
  9. rest — a break
  10. firm — decided
  11. mark — a trace
  12. key — in music
  13. field — for sport
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mark — a grade
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. field — farmland
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. key — for a lock
  20. rest — what's left
  21. spring — a coil
  22. field — a subject
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. spring — the season

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