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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: mark · perch · court · pass · nail · season · key · field

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mark — a grade
  6. court — for sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. key — the most important part
  11. perch — the fish
  12. court — of law
  13. mark — a trace
  14. pass — a permit
  15. court — of a king
  16. season — in sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. field — farmland
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. field — for sport
  23. key — for a lock
  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