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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. mark — a trace
  4. spell — magic
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. track — a song
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. pass — a permit
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. mug — a face
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a path
  15. mug — to rob
  16. sharp — clever
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. field — a subject
  19. mark — a grade
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. spell — letters
  22. mug — a cup
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. spell — a short 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