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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 120 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. track — a path
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. track — to keep track
  6. saw — the tool
  7. track — a song
  8. board — a committee
  9. march — music
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. saw — the tool
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. field — a subject
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. branch — a division
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. march — the month
  20. rush — hurry
  21. deal — to handle
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. board — to get on
  24. march — the month

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