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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 120 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. field — farmland
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. track — to keep track
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. pass — a permit
  8. track — a path
  9. net — for catching
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. field — a subject
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. swing — in golf
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. swing — to play on
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. hand — help
  20. field — for sport
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. swing — music
  24. track — a song

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