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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. mate — to breed
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — magic
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mate — a friend
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. cue — for pool
  11. track — a song
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. cue — a signal
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mate — a partner
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — farmland
  20. cue — a hint
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. track — a path
  23. spell — a short time
  24. temple — a place of worship

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