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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. key — the most important part
  3. firm — a company
  4. key — in music
  5. field — a subject
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — to bear
  8. rock — music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. shower — rain
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. firm — decided
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. rock — a stone
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bass — the fish
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bass — low music
  20. firm — steady
  21. field — for sport
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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