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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. stand — to bear
  3. march — the month
  4. field — for sport
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — of the year
  9. rock — a stone
  10. tear — from crying
  11. field — a subject
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. key — in music
  14. march — music
  15. sharp — clever
  16. key — for a lock
  17. march — the month
  18. rock — music
  19. season — in sport
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. tear — to rip
  22. field — farmland
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. tear — from crying

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