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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. track — a path
  4. field — for sport
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. key — in music
  7. track — to keep track
  8. season — in sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. track — a song
  11. pitch — completely
  12. key — for a lock
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. key — the most important part
  15. field — farmland
  16. charge — electricity
  17. pop — soda
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. season — of the year
  20. charge — in control
  21. charge — a price
  22. pop — music
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wake — a trail

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