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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. track — to keep track
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. rock — music
  7. dip — to sink
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. race — humankind
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. field — farmland
  12. craft — a skill
  13. track — a path
  14. craft — boats
  15. field — a subject
  16. track — a song
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — the arms race
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. snap — to click
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. plane — a tool
  24. rock — a stone

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