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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: calf · field · season · mine · nail · date · track · ball

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. track — a path
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. date — the fruit
  5. season — of the year
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. ball — a dance
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. ball — a great time
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. field — for sport
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — a subject
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. mine — for digging
  21. season — in sport
  22. track — a song
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. track — to keep track

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