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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. sharp — clever
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. scale — in music
  7. fine — all right
  8. field — a subject
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. scale — size or range
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. wake — a trail
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. track — a song
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. field — farmland
  17. track — to keep track
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. track — a path
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. fine — high quality

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