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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: game · club · track · cap · current · wake · foot · field

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. track — a song
  3. cap — a lid
  4. current — happening now
  5. field — a subject
  6. club — for dancing
  7. track — to keep track
  8. wake — a trail
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. cap — of ice
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. current — of water
  13. current — electric
  14. game — a match
  15. game — wild animals
  16. track — a path
  17. cap — a hat
  18. field — for sport
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. club — a group
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. field — farmland
  24. club — for golf

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