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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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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: swing · file · date · board · pitcher · field · track · bulb

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. date — the fruit
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — to get on
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. file — a document
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a tool
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. field — farmland
  16. swing — to play on
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bulb — for light
  23. track — a song
  24. track — a path

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