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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. field — a subject
  3. drill — army training
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. field — for sport
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a line
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. drill — a practice
  11. track — a song
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. drill — the tool
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. track — to keep track
  17. field — farmland
  18. wave — of the sea

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