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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 116 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. squash — the sport
  3. craft — boats
  4. charge — in control
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bear — the animal
  9. craft — a skill
  10. field — for sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bear — the animal
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — a subject
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. key — in music
  19. key — the most important part
  20. charge — a price
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. charge — electricity
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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