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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: jam · racket · last · perch · cold · track · field · lie

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. last — to go on
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. lie — to recline
  8. track — to keep track
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. last — final
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. last — finally
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. track — a song
  17. field — a subject
  18. cold — an illness
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. perch — the fish
  21. field — farmland
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. track — a path

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