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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. spell — a short time
  3. field — for sport
  4. track — to keep track
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. spell — letters
  7. bore — to tire
  8. field — farmland
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. spell — magic
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pass — a permit
  16. game — a match
  17. bore — to drill
  18. game — wild animals

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