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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · field · bay · leaves · fine · present · track · drill

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. field — a subject
  3. track — a path
  4. cold — an illness
  5. drill — the tool
  6. present — there
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — for sport
  9. fine — high quality
  10. present — a gift
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. drill — a practice
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — all right
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. drill — army training
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. present — the time now
  24. track — a song

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