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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — a stone
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. rock — music
  5. track — a path
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. field — farmland
  8. track — a song
  9. field — for sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. present — there
  13. season — in sport
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — certain
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. present — the time now
  19. field — a subject
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. present — a gift
  23. track — to keep track
  24. racket — for tennis

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