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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. field — farmland
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rash — a series
  7. mate — to breed
  8. rash — hasty
  9. mate — a friend
  10. squash — the sport
  11. track — to keep track
  12. mate — a partner
  13. squash — to crush
  14. field — a subject
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. wake — a trail
  18. field — for sport
  19. track — a song
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. board — to get on
  23. track — a path
  24. board — a committee

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