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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. key — for a lock
  3. game — wild animals
  4. rock — music
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. field — a subject
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. key — in music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. rock — a stone
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stand — to bear
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — high quality
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. field — farmland
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. game — a match
  24. field — for sport

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