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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. track — to keep track
  3. pit — in a race
  4. field — a subject
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bear — the animal
  7. key — the most important part
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. track — a path
  11. track — a song
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. key — in music
  15. field — farmland
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bass — low music
  18. field — for sport
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. mine — for digging
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. bass — the fish

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