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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rash — hasty
  4. field — for sport
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. track — a path
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. land — a country
  11. land — to come down
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lie — to recline
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. field — farmland
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. land — ground
  20. rash — a series
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. track — a song
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. field — a subject

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