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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a partner
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. key — the most important part
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. field — a subject
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. swing — in golf
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. field — for sport
  15. swing — to play on
  16. mate — a friend
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. mine — for digging
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — in music
  22. swing — music
  23. field — farmland
  24. pound — a weight

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