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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. pass — a permit
  3. charge — a price
  4. field — farmland
  5. rest — what's left
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. net — in sport
  9. rest — a break
  10. net — after costs
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. track — a song
  13. ball — a dance
  14. charge — in control
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. track — a path
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. rest — what's left
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. charge — electricity
  23. net — for catching
  24. ball — a great time

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