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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: key · field · march · date · pop · land · cabinet · object

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. pop — to visit
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. field — a subject
  5. key — for a lock
  6. land — a country
  7. march — the month
  8. key — in music
  9. march — the month
  10. land — ground
  11. object — a thing
  12. date — the fruit
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. land — to come down
  17. pop — music
  18. object — to protest
  19. march — music
  20. object — an aim
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. pop — soda
  24. cabinet — ministers

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