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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. field — farmland
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. cue — a hint
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. track — a song
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. ball — a great time
  10. track — a path
  11. track — to keep track
  12. pound — a weight
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. mate — a friend
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. band — a ring
  17. mate — a partner
  18. field — for sport
  19. cue — for pool
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. mate — to breed
  22. ball — a dance
  23. cue — a signal
  24. band — a music group

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