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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. wake — a trail
  3. staff — employees
  4. field — a subject
  5. file — a document
  6. key — in music
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. race — the arms race
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. file — a line of people
  12. race — a contest
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. key — for a lock
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. mine — for digging
  22. file — a tool
  23. race — humankind
  24. key — the most important part

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