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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: object · pass · mug · field · squash · ground · key · rock

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. rock — music
  3. field — a subject
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. squash — the sport
  7. field — for sport
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — the earth
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — to rob
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. ground — crushed
  14. key — the most important part
  15. squash — to crush
  16. key — in music
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. field — farmland
  19. rock — a stone
  20. pass — a permit
  21. object — a thing
  22. object — to protest
  23. object — an aim
  24. key — for a lock

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