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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.

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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. craft — boats
  3. field — a subject
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — in music
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. track — a path
  10. bore — to drill
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pit — in a race
  13. track — a song
  14. field — for sport
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. craft — a skill
  17. bore — to tire
  18. field — farmland

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