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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: race · fall · chip · lie · rash · ball · track · field

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. field — for sport
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. rash — hasty
  6. ball — a great time
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. chip — to eat
  10. track — a song
  11. rash — a series
  12. track — to keep track
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — a contest
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. race — the arms race
  21. lie — to recline
  22. fall — to drop
  23. chip — for betting
  24. ball — a dance

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