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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. field — farmland
  3. track — to keep track
  4. craft — boats
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. field — a subject
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. file — a tool
  12. pop — to visit
  13. vault — a safe
  14. pop — music
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a line of people
  18. track — a path
  19. net — after costs
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. craft — a skill
  23. pop — soda
  24. field — for sport

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