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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: nail · chair · mate · cue · field · can · file · track

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. field — a subject
  4. can — a tin
  5. mate — a friend
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. track — a song
  8. cue — for pool
  9. chair — a leader
  10. file — a tool
  11. track — a path
  12. mate — a partner
  13. cue — a hint
  14. file — a document
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. track — to keep track
  17. field — for sport
  18. mate — to breed
  19. file — a line of people
  20. can — a tin
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cue — a signal
  23. can — to be able to
  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