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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 116 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cap — a lid
  9. key — in music
  10. swing — in golf
  11. key — for a lock
  12. swing — to play on
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cap — a hat
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. swing — music
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. field — for sport
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bowl — a dish

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