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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. file — a document
  3. game — wild animals
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. face — part of the head
  6. track — to keep track
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. game — a match
  9. track — a song
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — to point toward
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. file — a line of people
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — farmland
  19. stand — to bear
  20. file — a tool
  21. field — for sport
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. track — a path
  24. game — a kind of play

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