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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — to keep track
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pound — a weight
  5. staff — employees
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. fine — high quality
  8. field — for sport
  9. staff — a stick
  10. fine — all right
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. field — farmland
  13. pit — in a race
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. field — a subject
  21. staff — employees
  22. track — a song
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — a hole

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