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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. key — in music
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. rock — music
  7. spring — the season
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. field — farmland
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. spring — a coil
  12. field — a subject
  13. rock — a stone
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. pound — a weight
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. field — for sport
  19. plane — a tool
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. key — the most important part
  24. spring — of water

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