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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. field — a subject
  3. mug — to rob
  4. field — for sport
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. mug — a cup
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — of ice
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. field — farmland
  13. track — a song
  14. cap — a hat
  15. shower — rain
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. row — a line
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. mug — a face
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bulb — for light
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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