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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: game · pass · cold · field · key · bank · lie · bear

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cold — an illness
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — farmland
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. key — for a lock
  7. game — a match
  8. key — the most important part
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. bank — for money
  15. bear — the animal
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bank — of a river
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. key — in music
  21. lie — to recline
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bank — for money
  24. cold — not warm

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