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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. cue — a signal
  3. track — to keep track
  4. last — to go on
  5. field — farmland
  6. mate — a partner
  7. track — a song
  8. track — a path
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. prune — to trim
  12. last — final
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — clever
  15. mate — to breed
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a hint
  18. mate — a friend
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. last — finally
  22. stock — shares
  23. field — for sport
  24. stock — goods

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