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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. track — to keep track
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. track — a path
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. rock — a stone
  7. chair — a leader
  8. track — a song
  9. rock — music
  10. field — a subject
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. scale — in music
  17. squash — the sport
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. field — farmland
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — size or range
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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