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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. field — for sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. spell — letters
  5. row — a line
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. net — in sport
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. track — a path
  12. spell — magic
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — to eat
  15. row — to paddle
  16. field — farmland
  17. net — for catching
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. spell — a short time
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. track — a song
  22. field — a subject
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. track — to keep track

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