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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. field — for sport
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. pop — to visit
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. march — the month
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. rest — what's left
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. rest — what's left
  15. key — in music
  16. key — the most important part
  17. march — music
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rest — a break
  22. pop — music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. march — the month

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