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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. march — music
  3. field — for sport
  4. track — to keep track
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rest — what's left
  7. field — farmland
  8. board — to get on
  9. rest — what's left
  10. board — a committee
  11. track — a path
  12. rest — a break
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. field — a subject
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. root — the cause
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. march — the month
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. root — of a plant
  22. march — the month
  23. root — of a word
  24. pitcher — a jug

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