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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. field — a subject
  5. bulb — for light
  6. last — finally
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a path
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. last — final
  14. bulb — for light
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. present — there
  17. last — to go on
  18. present — a gift
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. present — the time now
  22. field — farmland
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. track — a song

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