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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. ground — a position
  3. file — a tool
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. ground — crushed
  6. file — a line of people
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. field — farmland
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. file — a document
  11. track — a song
  12. mark — a grade
  13. field — for sport
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a trace
  16. ball — a great time
  17. pop — soda
  18. ball — a dance
  19. field — a subject
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ground — the earth
  22. track — to keep track
  23. pop — music
  24. track — a path

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