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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. track — to keep track
  3. tube — the underground
  4. game — wild animals
  5. fine — all right
  6. present — the time now
  7. fine — high quality
  8. track — a path
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — for sport
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. track — a song
  15. present — a gift
  16. present — there
  17. field — a subject
  18. tube — in a tire

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