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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. key — the most important part
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. key — in music
  5. field — for sport
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. key — for a lock
  9. field — a subject
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pop — soda
  13. club — for dancing
  14. field — farmland
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. date — the fruit
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. club — for golf
  19. game — a match
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. pop — to visit
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. club — a group
  24. pop — music

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