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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 124 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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — a measure
  9. track — a path
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mine — for digging
  12. track — a song
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. saw — the tool
  15. field — farmland
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. field — for sport
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. field — a subject
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. foot — part of the body

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