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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. snap — to click
  5. board — to get on
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. net — in sport
  9. track — to keep track
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. field — a subject
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. net — after costs
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. net — for catching
  16. lie — to recline
  17. content — the amount
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. vault — a safe
  20. track — a song
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. content — happy
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. board — a committee

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