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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. staff — employees
  3. field — a subject
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bound — obliged
  6. key — in music
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. field — farmland
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. field — for sport
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. staff — employees
  15. bound — certain
  16. cold — an illness
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — for a lock
  19. squash — to crush
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. squash — the sport
  23. staff — a stick
  24. bound — tied together

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