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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 116 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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. land — to come down
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. pass — a permit
  5. field — a subject
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. land — ground
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. land — a country
  11. track — a song
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. game — a match
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. game — wild animals
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. field — for sport
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stock — shares
  23. field — farmland
  24. pass — to succeed

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