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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. field — for sport
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. track — a path
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. lie — to recline
  11. field — a subject
  12. clip — a video
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bear — the animal
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — for paper
  21. field — farmland
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bear — the animal
  24. track — to keep track

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