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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  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. present — the time now
  2. land — to come down
  3. track — a path
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. present — a gift
  7. spell — letters
  8. staff — employees
  9. land — ground
  10. track — to keep track
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. field — farmland
  13. cue — a signal
  14. field — a subject
  15. cue — for pool
  16. track — a song
  17. present — there
  18. cue — a hint
  19. land — a country
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. spell — a short time
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. spell — magic
  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