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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bass — the fish
  4. field — for sport
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. prune — to trim
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. prune — to trim
  9. field — a subject
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. board — a committee
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. chair — a leader
  17. key — in music
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bass — low music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. field — farmland
  23. board — to get on
  24. deal — an agreement

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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