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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. board — to get on
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. pit — in a race
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. field — farmland
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bulb — for light
  16. field — a subject
  17. board — a committee
  18. track — a path
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pit — a hole
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. field — for sport
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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