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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — a path
  3. spring — a coil
  4. firm — decided
  5. current — of water
  6. firm — a company
  7. track — to keep track
  8. spell — magic
  9. current — electric
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. spring — the season
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. court — of law
  14. court — for sport
  15. current — happening now
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. spell — a short time
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. spell — letters
  21. spring — of water
  22. court — of a king
  23. firm — steady
  24. field — a subject

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