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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: cabinet · rush · pop · mark · track · field · kid · mouse

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mark — a grade
  3. kid — to tease
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. field — a subject
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. track — a song
  10. pop — soda
  11. track — to keep track
  12. pop — to visit
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. field — farmland
  15. mark — a trace
  16. pop — music
  17. track — a path
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. kid — child
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. field — for sport

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