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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 116 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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. track — a song
  3. track — a path
  4. stock — shares
  5. firm — decided
  6. pound — a weight
  7. tear — from crying
  8. track — to keep track
  9. tear — to rip
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. firm — a company
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. mine — for digging
  15. field — for sport
  16. key — the most important part
  17. field — farmland
  18. firm — steady
  19. stock — goods
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. key — for a lock
  23. field — a subject
  24. mine — belonging to me

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