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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. present — a gift
  3. key — for a lock
  4. mate — to breed
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. mate — a partner
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. present — the time now
  9. key — in music
  10. field — for sport
  11. present — there
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. field — farmland
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. band — a ring
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. degree — from a university
  22. band — a music group
  23. key — the most important part
  24. pitcher — a jug

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