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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. key — in music
  3. field — a subject
  4. cap — a lid
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. game — wild animals
  7. key — the most important part
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. cap — a hat
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — a match
  13. cap — of ice
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — to come from
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. rest — a break
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — for sport
  21. rest — what's left
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. key — for a lock

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