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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. march — the month
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a song
  5. field — for sport
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. field — a subject
  8. cell — in biology
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. march — the month
  12. field — farmland
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. stand — to bear
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. hand — help
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. track — a path
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. march — music
  24. hand — in cards

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