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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 works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. march — the month
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. track — to keep track
  6. net — for catching
  7. track — a path
  8. key — the most important part
  9. field — farmland
  10. key — in music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. field — a subject
  14. march — music
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. field — for sport
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. firm — steady
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. march — the month
  22. firm — decided
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. track — a song

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