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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. field — for sport
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. net — in sport
  5. track — a path
  6. rock — a stone
  7. net — after costs
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. plane — a tool
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. field — farmland
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. foot — a measure
  16. roll — a cake
  17. net — for catching
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. roll — a list
  20. field — a subject
  21. track — to keep track
  22. date — the fruit
  23. rock — music
  24. foot — the bottom

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