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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. key — the most important part
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. bat — the animal
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. tear — to rip
  8. suit — to fit
  9. tear — from crying
  10. branch — a division
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. chest — of your body
  13. key — for a lock
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. suit — in cards
  18. field — a subject
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. chest — a box
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. tear — from crying
  23. key — in music
  24. ruler — for measuring

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