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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. field — a subject
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. key — the most important part
  6. ground — the earth
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. ground — crushed
  9. rush — hurry
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. field — for sport
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. tube — a container
  15. field — farmland
  16. key — in music
  17. tube — the underground
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. key — for a lock
  24. cabinet — ministers

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