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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lie · tube · field · pitch · file · content · track · wake

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. file — a document
  6. field — a subject
  7. track — a song
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. tube — the underground
  10. file — a tool
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — happy
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. track — a path
  17. wake — a trail
  18. track — to keep track
  19. lie — to recline
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. pitch — completely
  23. tube — a container
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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