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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. band — a music group
  3. track — to keep track
  4. cue — for pool
  5. mark — a trace
  6. track — a song
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. land — ground
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. cue — a signal
  11. pound — a weight
  12. track — a path
  13. rush — hurry
  14. land — a country
  15. land — to come down
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. cue — a hint
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. mark — a grade
  21. field — for sport
  22. band — a ring
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. field — farmland

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