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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 116 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. field — for sport
  3. staff — employees
  4. track — to keep track
  5. field — a subject
  6. march — music
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. track — a song
  9. march — the month
  10. field — farmland
  11. rule — a law
  12. fine — high quality
  13. staff — employees
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. net — for catching
  16. rule — government
  17. march — the month
  18. staff — a stick
  19. fine — all right
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. net — in sport
  22. perch — the fish
  23. net — after costs
  24. rule — to rule out

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