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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. court — of a king
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. field — farmland
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. march — the month
  7. track — to keep track
  8. field — a subject
  9. track — a song
  10. scale — in music
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. current — happening now
  13. lie — to recline
  14. march — the month
  15. snap — to click
  16. current — electric
  17. court — for sport
  18. field — for sport
  19. march — music
  20. current — of water
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. court — of law
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. track — a path

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