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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.

Make a worksheet

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: field · mine · chest · pass · key · arm · suit · season

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. key — for a lock
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. field — for sport
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. season — in sport
  11. suit — to fit
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. suit — clothes
  14. key — the most important part
  15. mine — for digging
  16. pass — a permit
  17. season — of the year
  18. chest — of your body
  19. key — in music
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. chest — a box
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — farmland
  24. mine — an explosive

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