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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. track — a song
  3. field — for sport
  4. key — for a lock
  5. tear — from crying
  6. march — the month
  7. tear — to rip
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. track — to keep track
  11. roll — a list
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. tear — from crying
  14. field — farmland
  15. key — in music
  16. march — the month
  17. fine — high quality
  18. roll — a cake
  19. march — music
  20. track — a path
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. field — a subject
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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