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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: ground · firm · capital · craft · field · chest · mark · track

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. field — for sport
  4. ground — the earth
  5. firm — decided
  6. chest — of your body
  7. firm — steady
  8. chest — a box
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. ground — a position
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a path
  13. firm — a company
  14. mark — a grade
  15. ground — crushed
  16. mark — a trace
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. capital — a city
  20. craft — boats
  21. capital — money
  22. craft — a skill
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. chest — of your body

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