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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. march — the month
  3. key — in music
  4. land — a country
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. key — for a lock
  7. land — to come down
  8. present — a gift
  9. march — music
  10. present — there
  11. field — farmland
  12. lean — thin
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. march — the month
  15. field — a subject
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. lean — to bend
  18. staff — a stick
  19. land — ground
  20. staff — employees
  21. present — the time now
  22. vault — a safe
  23. staff — employees
  24. key — the most important part

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