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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. track — to keep track
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. game — a match
  6. track — a song
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. fall — to drop
  10. track — a path
  11. court — of a king
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a grade
  14. game — wild animals
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. pass — a permit
  18. field — farmland
  19. court — for sport
  20. field — for sport
  21. court — of law
  22. fall — the season
  23. mark — a trace
  24. pass — to succeed

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