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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. branch — a division
  3. key — the most important part
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. key — for a lock
  6. field — for sport
  7. tube — a container
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. court — of a king
  11. season — in sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. court — of law
  17. key — in music
  18. field — a subject
  19. tube — the underground
  20. present — the time now
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. present — a gift
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. present — there

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