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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. band — a ring
  3. mate — a friend
  4. staff — employees
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. staff — employees
  7. key — the most important part
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. staff — a stick
  11. field — for sport
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. band — a music group
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — in music
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. net — in sport
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a partner

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