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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. branch — a division
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. track — a path
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a song
  9. key — for a lock
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. stand — to bear
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. season — of the year
  16. chest — a box
  17. key — in music
  18. pit — in a race
  19. key — the most important part
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. chest — of your body
  23. season — in sport
  24. chest — of your body

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