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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. band — a ring
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. field — farmland
  8. fork — in a road
  9. track — a path
  10. field — for sport
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. field — a subject
  16. track — a song
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. date — the fruit
  19. band — a music group
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. fork — a garden tool

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