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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. key — for a lock
  5. field — a subject
  6. present — there
  7. key — in music
  8. rest — a break
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. field — farmland
  12. bark — to shout
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. field — for sport
  16. key — the most important part
  17. march — the month
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — the time now

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