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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: firm · mate · ball · press · prune · season · field · key

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. mate — to breed
  3. key — in music
  4. prune — to trim
  5. field — for sport
  6. ball — a great time
  7. press — a publisher
  8. mate — a friend
  9. firm — a company
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. key — for a lock
  13. press — newspapers
  14. season — in sport
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. firm — steady
  17. field — a subject
  18. ball — a dance
  19. mate — a partner
  20. press — to push
  21. firm — decided
  22. season — of the year
  23. field — farmland
  24. season — to add flavour

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