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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. track — to keep track
  3. field — farmland
  4. spell — magic
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. can — a tin
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. cold — an illness
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. deal — to handle
  12. field — for sport
  13. can — to be able to
  14. fine — all right
  15. field — a subject
  16. track — a song
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cold — not warm
  20. can — a tin
  21. spell — a short time
  22. track — a path
  23. spell — letters
  24. fine — high quality

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