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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. field — for sport
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. net — for catching
  5. key — the most important part
  6. cell — in biology
  7. net — in sport
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. key — for a lock
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. mark — a grade
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. field — a subject
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mine — for digging
  17. key — in music
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. cell — a phone
  20. rule — a law
  21. field — farmland
  22. net — after costs
  23. rule — government
  24. mark — to pay attention

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