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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. rash — a series
  3. stem — to come from
  4. track — a song
  5. capital — money
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. capital — a city
  8. track — a path
  9. present — a gift
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. rash — hasty
  14. field — for sport
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. field — farmland
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. field — a subject
  21. track — to keep track
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. present — there
  24. present — the time now

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