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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. last — to go on
  4. perch — the fish
  5. key — in music
  6. key — the most important part
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. field — for sport
  9. season — in sport
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. last — finally
  12. last — final
  13. field — a subject
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. key — for a lock
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. pitch — completely
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. season — of the year
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. field — farmland

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