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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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. jam — in traffic
  4. wound — an injury
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. track — a song
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cue — a signal
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. current — electric
  13. field — farmland
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. cue — for pool
  16. current — of water
  17. track — to keep track
  18. field — a subject
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. current — happening now
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. cue — a hint

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