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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. field — farmland
  3. key — in music
  4. key — for a lock
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fall — to drop
  7. track — a path
  8. march — the month
  9. track — a song
  10. field — a subject
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. key — the most important part
  14. march — music
  15. bore — to drill
  16. march — the month
  17. fall — the season
  18. date — the fruit
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to tire
  21. track — to keep track
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. field — for sport
  24. fall — to drop

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