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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: cap · pop · fall · stick · court · rule · field · track

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. court — for sport
  4. track — to keep track
  5. pop — to visit
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. fall — the season
  10. pop — soda
  11. cap — a hat
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pop — music
  14. rule — a law
  15. cap — of ice
  16. court — of law
  17. field — a subject
  18. court — of a king
  19. field — farmland
  20. cap — a lid
  21. field — for sport
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rule — government
  24. fall — to drop

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