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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. field — farmland
  4. pass — a permit
  5. spell — magic
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. field — for sport
  9. wound — an injury
  10. key — in music
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. rock — a stone
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. spell — letters
  16. deal — to handle
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. key — the most important part
  19. wound — an injury
  20. key — for a lock
  21. spell — a short time
  22. field — a subject
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — a place of worship

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