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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 120 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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bank — for money
  3. track — a path
  4. bat — the animal
  5. pop — soda
  6. field — for sport
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. field — a subject
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bank — for money
  12. track — to keep track
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. pop — music
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. field — farmland
  22. pop — to visit
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to confront

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