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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · rash · season · key · swing · bark · field · mine

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. swing — to play on
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. key — in music
  9. season — of the year
  10. rash — a series
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. mine — for digging
  13. field — farmland
  14. bark — to shout
  15. chair — a leader
  16. field — for sport
  17. swing — in golf
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. swing — music
  23. key — the most important part
  24. mine — belonging to me

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