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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. track — to keep track
  4. season — of the year
  5. snap — to click
  6. firm — a company
  7. shower — to wash
  8. lean — thin
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. drill — the tool
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. season — in sport
  13. drill — army training
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. drill — a practice
  17. firm — steady
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. lean — to bend
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. track — a path
  24. firm — decided

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