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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 116 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. field — farmland
  6. key — in music
  7. snap — to click
  8. march — music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. track — to keep track
  12. field — for sport
  13. track — a path
  14. key — the most important part
  15. stand — to bear
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. field — a subject
  20. game — a match
  21. track — a song
  22. march — the month
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. march — the month

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