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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 120 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cell — a phone
  3. key — the most important part
  4. cell — in biology
  5. mug — a face
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mate — a partner
  9. present — a gift
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mate — to breed
  14. present — there
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. field — farmland
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — in music
  19. charge — a price
  20. charge — in control
  21. present — the time now
  22. charge — electricity
  23. field — a subject
  24. cell — in a prison

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