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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. staff — a stick
  3. rock — music
  4. field — for sport
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. staff — employees
  9. field — farmland
  10. season — of the year
  11. staff — employees
  12. track — to keep track
  13. present — there
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. field — a subject
  16. track — a song
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. plane — a tool
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — a stone
  21. track — a path
  22. season — in sport
  23. present — a gift
  24. pitcher — a jug

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