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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. track — to keep track
  3. ground — a position
  4. field — a subject
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. ground — crushed
  7. track — a path
  8. bank — for money
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. field — for sport
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. field — farmland
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. chip — to eat
  19. drill — a practice
  20. chip — for betting
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. track — a song
  23. ground — the earth
  24. drill — army training

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