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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. track — a path
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. pop — music
  6. bulb — for light
  7. field — farmland
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pop — to visit
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. race — a contest
  12. field — for sport
  13. bulb — for light
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. race — the arms race
  18. game — a match
  19. field — a subject
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — a trail
  22. game — wild animals
  23. track — a song
  24. race — humankind

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