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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. spring — of water
  3. ball — a great time
  4. field — a subject
  5. ball — a dance
  6. chest — a box
  7. spring — a coil
  8. object — to protest
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. key — in music
  11. object — a thing
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. chest — of your body
  14. object — an aim
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. spring — the season
  17. mine — for digging
  18. key — the most important part
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. field — farmland
  21. chest — of your body
  22. key — for a lock
  23. field — for sport
  24. stand — to bear

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