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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. rush — hurry
  3. current — of water
  4. track — a song
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. current — electric
  9. track — to keep track
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — for sport
  12. key — in music
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. track — a path
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. key — for a lock
  18. field — farmland
  19. current — happening now
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. key — the most important part
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. leaves — to go away

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