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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. kid — to tease
  3. ball — a dance
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. land — to come down
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. suit — to fit
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. kid — child
  12. ball — a great time
  13. plane — a tool
  14. field — a subject
  15. land — a country
  16. track — a song
  17. suit — in cards
  18. pit — a hole
  19. land — ground
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — in a race
  22. track — to keep track
  23. suit — clothes
  24. plane — an aircraft

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