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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · net · last · tear · field · sharp · track · charge

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. last — final
  4. charge — a price
  5. tear — to rip
  6. net — for catching
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. last — finally
  11. charge — electricity
  12. track — a path
  13. charge — in control
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. field — for sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — in sport
  19. last — to go on
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. sharp — clever
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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