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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. game — a match
  3. rush — hurry
  4. craft — boats
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — money
  7. track — to keep track
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. press — to push
  10. track — a path
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. track — a song
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. field — for sport
  16. game — wild animals
  17. press — newspapers
  18. craft — a skill
  19. press — a publisher
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — in music
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — a subject
  24. key — for a lock

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