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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 120 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. game — a match
  3. track — to keep track
  4. field — farmland
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bulb — for light
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitch — completely
  11. track — a song
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. field — for sport
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. track — a path
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bulb — for light
  22. field — a subject
  23. sharp — clever
  24. game — wild animals

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