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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. kid — to tease
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. craft — a skill
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. kid — child
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. field — a subject
  10. wind — moving air
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. toast — bread
  15. wind — moving air
  16. track — a song
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. track — a path
  19. craft — boats
  20. track — to keep track
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. field — farmland
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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