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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — a song
  3. land — ground
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. track — to keep track
  6. land — to come down
  7. key — the most important part
  8. present — a gift
  9. land — a country
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a match
  12. present — the time now
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. field — a subject
  15. key — for a lock
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. present — there
  19. field — farmland
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. key — in music
  23. field — for sport
  24. hide — to keep secret

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