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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. craft — boats
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — a grade
  6. court — for sport
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. field — farmland
  9. ground — a position
  10. court — of a king
  11. file — a document
  12. track — a path
  13. court — of law
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. craft — a skill
  17. ground — the earth
  18. track — to keep track
  19. file — a line of people
  20. ground — crushed
  21. field — for sport
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. field — a subject
  24. file — a tool

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