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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. rest — a break
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. pass — a permit
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cue — a hint
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. field — for sport
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. rest — what's left
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. track — a song
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. sharp — clever
  23. cue — a signal
  24. track — to keep track

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