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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. last — finally
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — music
  6. key — in music
  7. key — for a lock
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. net — after costs
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. key — the most important part
  13. field — a subject
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. last — final
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. net — in sport
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. field — farmland
  21. last — to go on
  22. net — for catching
  23. rush — hurry
  24. pop — to visit

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