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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. club — for golf
  3. pit — in a race
  4. rest — a break
  5. field — farmland
  6. club — for dancing
  7. key — the most important part
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. key — in music
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pitch — completely
  16. club — a group
  17. branch — a division
  18. band — a ring
  19. key — for a lock
  20. pit — a hole
  21. field — a subject
  22. band — a music group
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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