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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. pop — soda
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. pop — music
  9. track — a song
  10. cap — a hat
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. deal — to handle
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. cap — a lid
  17. field — for sport
  18. pop — to visit
  19. snap — to click
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. track — a path
  23. field — farmland
  24. mine — an explosive

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