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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 120 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: field · fine · chest · row · content · track · wake · mug

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. mug — a face
  3. fine — all right
  4. track — to keep track
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. field — farmland
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. row — a line
  10. chest — of your body
  11. track — a path
  12. fine — high quality
  13. chest — a box
  14. field — a subject
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. mug — to rob
  18. wake — a trail
  19. row — to paddle
  20. content — happy
  21. track — a song
  22. mug — a cup
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. row — a quarrel

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