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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. land — a country
  3. object — to protest
  4. game — a match
  5. track — to keep track
  6. land — to come down
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. rash — hasty
  9. field — farmland
  10. deal — to handle
  11. field — for sport
  12. object — a thing
  13. rash — a series
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. track — a song
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. field — a subject
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. land — ground
  21. game — wild animals
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. object — an aim

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