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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. branch — a division
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. suit — in cards
  5. field — for sport
  6. key — in music
  7. rash — hasty
  8. spell — magic
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. field — a subject
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. spell — letters
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. suit — to fit
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. rash — a series
  18. field — farmland
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bat — the animal
  21. key — for a lock
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. spell — a short time
  24. suit — clothes

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