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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 124 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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. band — a ring
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — a weight
  6. fine — all right
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. key — in music
  10. fine — high quality
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. field — for sport
  13. key — the most important part
  14. court — for sport
  15. key — for a lock
  16. mate — a friend
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. court — of law
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. mate — to breed
  22. court — of a king
  23. field — farmland
  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