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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 116 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. firm — steady
  3. land — to come down
  4. key — the most important part
  5. field — for sport
  6. face — to point toward
  7. charge — a price
  8. key — in music
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. face — part of the head
  11. charge — in control
  12. firm — decided
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. field — a subject
  18. face — to confront
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. land — a country
  21. firm — a company
  22. field — farmland
  23. charge — electricity
  24. land — ground

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