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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. tear — to rip
  3. field — a subject
  4. tear — from crying
  5. track — to keep track
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. field — for sport
  10. fall — to drop
  11. track — a path
  12. deal — to handle
  13. key — for a lock
  14. sharp — clever
  15. fall — to drop
  16. key — the most important part
  17. tear — from crying
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. key — in music
  20. fall — the season
  21. track — a song
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. deal — a big deal

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