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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 120 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. track — a song
  4. field — farmland
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — in a race
  9. bank — for money
  10. field — for sport
  11. drill — army training
  12. wake — a trail
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. fine — high quality
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. track — a path
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bank — for money
  22. fine — all right
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bank — of a river

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