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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. track — to keep track
  3. net — for catching
  4. track — a path
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mate — a friend
  7. pass — a permit
  8. track — a song
  9. kid — to tease
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. kid — child
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — to breed
  16. net — after costs
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — a grade
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. field — farmland
  24. rush — hurry

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