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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a lid
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. key — the most important part
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. field — farmland
  8. key — in music
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — a subject
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bore — to drill
  13. pit — in a race
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to tire
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. pit — a hole
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. wound — an injury
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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