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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. chip — for betting
  3. field — farmland
  4. mark — a grade
  5. field — a subject
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. track — a song
  8. fall — the season
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. field — for sport
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — obliged
  15. track — to keep track
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. mark — a trace
  19. fall — to drop
  20. track — a path
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. chip — to eat
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bound — tied together

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