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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. pass — a permit
  3. track — to keep track
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. track — a path
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. game — a match
  8. squash — to crush
  9. field — for sport
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. field — a subject
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. field — farmland
  15. game — wild animals
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — in music
  20. track — a song
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — the vegetable

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