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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. field — a subject
  3. key — the most important part
  4. field — for sport
  5. key — for a lock
  6. field — farmland
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. board — to get on
  9. ground — a position
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. spring — of water
  16. board — a committee
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. key — in music
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. ground — the earth
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. spring — the season
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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