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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. content — happy
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. spring — the season
  5. field — for sport
  6. fine — high quality
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. key — in music
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — to breed
  11. face — part of the head
  12. spring — a coil
  13. face — to confront
  14. chip — for betting
  15. face — to point toward
  16. content — the amount
  17. field — farmland
  18. spring — of water
  19. chip — to eat
  20. fine — all right
  21. key — the most important part
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. key — for a lock
  24. mate — a partner

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