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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. cap — a lid
  4. track — a song
  5. board — to get on
  6. field — for sport
  7. dip — to sink
  8. march — the month
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. march — music
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. march — the month
  14. board — a committee
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. cap — a hat
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. field — farmland
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. cap — of ice
  21. track — a path
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. field — a subject
  24. temple — side of the head

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