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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. track — a song
  5. fall — to drop
  6. field — farmland
  7. drill — a practice
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. pass — a permit
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. fork — in a road
  14. track — a path
  15. field — for sport
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. track — to keep track
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — a grade
  22. drill — army training
  23. field — a subject
  24. drill — the 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