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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. ground — the earth
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. capital — money
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. field — a subject
  11. track — to keep track
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. field — farmland
  16. bear — the animal
  17. deal — to handle
  18. ground — a position
  19. bear — the animal
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. ground — crushed
  23. capital — a city
  24. rest — what's left

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