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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. track — a song
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. rash — hasty
  5. sharp — clever
  6. track — to keep track
  7. field — for sport
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. pit — a hole
  10. court — of a king
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pit — in a race
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — a subject
  15. court — for sport
  16. rash — a series
  17. track — a path
  18. court — of law

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