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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — for sport
  4. swing — music
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. content — the amount
  9. bore — to drill
  10. file — a tool
  11. deal — to handle
  12. field — farmland
  13. swing — in golf
  14. file — a document
  15. mark — a grade
  16. bore — to tire
  17. content — happy
  18. track — a path
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. track — to keep track
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. swing — to play on
  23. track — a song
  24. deal — a big deal

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