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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. present — there
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. field — farmland
  7. track — a path
  8. drill — the tool
  9. present — the time now
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. drill — a practice
  12. season — in sport
  13. track — to keep track
  14. pitch — completely
  15. ball — a great time
  16. present — a gift
  17. lean — to bend
  18. drill — army training
  19. field — for sport
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. lean — thin
  22. track — a song
  23. field — a subject
  24. season — of the year

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