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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. suit — clothes
  4. rest — what's left
  5. field — farmland
  6. rest — what's left
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. suit — to fit
  10. rest — a break
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. track — to keep track
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. field — a subject
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. track — a path
  17. wake — a trail
  18. mark — a trace
  19. game — a match
  20. mark — a grade
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. track — a song
  23. fork — in a road
  24. field — for sport

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