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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. field — a subject
  3. bass — the fish
  4. mug — to rob
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. track — to keep track
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. mate — to breed
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. race — a contest
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mug — a face
  14. pitch — completely
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bass — low music
  17. track — a path
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — the arms race
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — a friend
  24. track — a song

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