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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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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: snap · land · stand · field · bowl · track · drill · kid

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. drill — army training
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. stand — to bear
  5. kid — child
  6. track — a song
  7. track — a path
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. field — farmland
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. land — a country
  12. field — a subject
  13. snap — to click
  14. drill — a practice
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. field — for sport
  17. land — to come down
  18. track — to keep track
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. drill — the tool
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. land — ground

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