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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 120 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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — to keep track
  3. mate — a partner
  4. field — farmland
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. mate — a friend
  8. field — a subject
  9. track — a song
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. can — a tin
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. field — for sport
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bowl — a dish

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