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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — a group
  5. net — in sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. key — the most important part
  8. net — after costs
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. key — for a lock
  12. club — for golf
  13. chair — a leader
  14. field — for sport
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. tube — the underground
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. tube — a container
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. key — in music
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. net — for catching
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. perch — the fish

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