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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. track — to keep track
  3. field — a subject
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. track — a song
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pop — to visit
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. field — farmland
  13. track — a path
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pop — soda
  16. field — for sport
  17. pitch — completely
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. pop — music
  22. tear — to rip
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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