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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. track — to keep track
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bulb — for light
  8. saw — the tool
  9. field — farmland
  10. clip — a video
  11. track — a song
  12. field — a subject
  13. squash — the sport
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. toast — bread
  17. bulb — for light
  18. track — a path
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. saw — the tool
  22. snap — to click
  23. squash — to crush
  24. clip — for paper

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