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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: field · track · drill · mouse · chair · current · pop · snap

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. track — a song
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pop — soda
  6. drill — army training
  7. field — for sport
  8. pop — music
  9. track — to keep track
  10. current — electric
  11. chair — a leader
  12. field — farmland
  13. current — of water
  14. field — a subject
  15. pop — to visit
  16. drill — a practice
  17. snap — to click
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. track — a path
  21. drill — the tool
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. current — happening now

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