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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — a song
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. staff — a stick
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. field — a subject
  7. cap — a hat
  8. scale — in music
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. field — farmland
  11. scale — size or range
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — government
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — of ice
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. staff — employees
  22. track — to keep track
  23. staff — employees
  24. field — for sport

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