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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. key — for a lock
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. track — a path
  5. field — for sport
  6. key — in music
  7. ball — a great time
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. key — the most important part
  10. prune — to trim
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. current — happening now
  13. snap — to click
  14. track — a song
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. prune — to trim
  19. field — farmland
  20. track — to keep track
  21. field — a subject
  22. current — electric
  23. current — of water
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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