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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. track — a path
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. field — a subject
  8. clip — to cut
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. track — a song
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. field — farmland
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. game — a match
  15. branch — a division
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — a video
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. track — to keep track
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. safe — out of danger

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