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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — farmland
  3. track — to keep track
  4. content — happy
  5. track — a song
  6. key — in music
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. clip — for paper
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. track — a path
  11. key — for a lock
  12. suit — to fit
  13. present — the time now
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. content — the amount
  16. clip — to cut
  17. field — a subject
  18. suit — clothes
  19. wake — a trail
  20. suit — in cards
  21. clip — a video
  22. key — the most important part
  23. present — there
  24. present — a gift

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