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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 116 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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. hand — help
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. game — a match
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — a safe
  9. track — a path
  10. drill — a practice
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. game — wild animals
  13. drill — the tool
  14. field — a subject
  15. hand — in cards
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. drill — army training
  20. track — a song
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. can — to be able to
  23. rush — hurry
  24. game — a kind of play

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