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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  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. mate — a friend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. swing — in golf
  5. track — a song
  6. track — a path
  7. last — finally
  8. last — final
  9. field — for sport
  10. bass — low music
  11. mate — to breed
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bass — the fish
  15. last — to go on
  16. board — a committee
  17. field — farmland
  18. board — to get on
  19. swing — music
  20. root — of a plant
  21. root — the cause
  22. track — to keep track
  23. root — of a word
  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