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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fall — the season
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a music group
  7. foot — a measure
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. track — a path
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. track — a song
  14. field — farmland
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. field — a subject
  19. fall — to drop
  20. track — to keep track
  21. fall — to drop
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. nail — for a hammer

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