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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 120 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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. deal — to handle
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — for sport
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mark — a trace
  9. track — a path
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a grade
  12. hand — in cards
  13. degree — an amount
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — from a university
  20. field — farmland
  21. track — a song
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. hand — help

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