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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. vault — a safe
  7. field — a subject
  8. bass — low music
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. bass — the fish
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. current — of water
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. track — a path
  15. current — electric
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. current — happening now
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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