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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: saw · cap · march · wound · bowl · track · charge · field

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. track — a song
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. march — the month
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a lid
  7. track — a path
  8. wound — an injury
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. march — music
  12. saw — the tool
  13. march — the month
  14. charge — a price
  15. charge — electricity
  16. wound — an injury
  17. field — a subject
  18. track — to keep track
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cap — a hat
  21. charge — in control
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — farmland

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