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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  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. field — farmland
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. rush — hurry
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — a list
  6. swing — music
  7. key — for a lock
  8. track — to keep track
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. key — in music
  13. track — a path
  14. swing — in golf
  15. key — the most important part
  16. deal — to handle
  17. swing — to play on
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. field — for sport
  23. track — a song
  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