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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. track — a song
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. land — a country
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. land — ground
  8. track — to keep track
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. mug — a face
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. mug — a cup
  15. track — a path
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. mug — to rob
  19. field — farmland
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. sharp — clever
  22. field — a subject
  23. land — to come down
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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