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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. track — a path
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. cue — a hint
  7. track — to keep track
  8. field — farmland
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. swing — music
  11. object — an aim
  12. cue — for pool
  13. swing — in golf
  14. track — a song
  15. object — to protest
  16. scale — in music
  17. swing — to play on
  18. cue — a signal
  19. object — a thing
  20. bat — the animal
  21. scale — size or range
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. last — to go on

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