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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. spring — of water
  5. key — for a lock
  6. rest — what's left
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. field — farmland
  10. rock — a stone
  11. game — a match
  12. key — in music
  13. spring — the season
  14. field — a subject
  15. perch — the fish
  16. game — wild animals
  17. rock — music
  18. rest — a break
  19. field — for sport
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. key — the most important part
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pass — a permit
  24. game — a kind of play

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