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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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. ball — a great time
  3. season — in sport
  4. field — for sport
  5. track — a song
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — of the year
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. cell — a phone
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. field — a subject
  14. pass — a permit
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. ball — a dance
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. saw — the tool
  19. field — farmland
  20. track — a path
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. cell — in biology
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. cell — in a prison

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