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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  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. track — to keep track
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. track — a song
  4. field — farmland
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. sharp — clever
  7. track — a path
  8. fall — the season
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. court — for sport
  12. rush — hurry
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. fall — to drop
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — of law
  19. field — a subject
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. fall — to drop
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rush — to hurry
  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