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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. field — for sport
  4. mark — a grade
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bat — the animal
  7. key — the most important part
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. key — in music
  10. can — a tin
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. can — to be able to
  13. game — a match
  14. can — a tin
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. key — for a lock
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. field — farmland
  19. game — wild animals
  20. mark — a trace
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — a lid

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