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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. field — a subject
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bank — of a river
  7. track — a song
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — for sport
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chip — for betting
  12. track — to keep track
  13. shower — rain
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. shower — to wash
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bank — for money
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. bank — for money
  24. chair — a professorship

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