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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. swing — to play on
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. field — a subject
  5. swing — music
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — in sport
  9. field — for sport
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. key — in music
  12. fork — in a road
  13. lie — to recline
  14. key — for a lock
  15. mine — for digging
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. field — farmland
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. key — the most important part
  21. season — of the year
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. swing — in golf
  24. lie — an untruth

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