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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. field — a subject
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. field — farmland
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. track — a song
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. field — for sport
  10. chair — a leader
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cap — a hat
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. cap — a lid
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. game — wild animals
  17. cap — of ice
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. lie — to recline
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. track — a path
  23. game — a match
  24. chair — a professorship

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