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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. season — in sport
  6. track — a path
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — certain
  12. track — a song
  13. season — of the year
  14. track — to keep track
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. field — for sport
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. field — a subject

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