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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. club — for golf
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. chair — a leader
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. kick — in football
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. key — the most important part
  11. club — for dancing
  12. band — a ring
  13. key — for a lock
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. band — a music group
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. key — in music
  24. club — a group

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