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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 124 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. track — to keep track
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. track — a song
  6. mark — a grade
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — for sport
  9. spell — letters
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. last — finally
  12. last — to go on
  13. lean — to bend
  14. mark — a trace
  15. track — a path
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. field — a subject
  19. lean — thin
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. spell — magic
  22. sharp — clever
  23. spell — a short time
  24. mouse — for a computer

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