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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. capital — money
  6. present — there
  7. pit — a hole
  8. can — to be able to
  9. present — the time now
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — to wash
  13. present — a gift
  14. track — a song
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. can — a tin
  17. capital — a city
  18. pit — in a race
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. track — to keep track
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. field — a subject
  24. can — a tin

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