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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: track · pop · field · fall · net · stick · pound · arm

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pop — soda
  3. field — a subject
  4. track — a song
  5. field — for sport
  6. fall — to drop
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. net — for catching
  10. pop — music
  11. field — farmland
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — a weight
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fall — the season
  18. track — a path
  19. track — to keep track
  20. net — after costs
  21. fall — to drop
  22. net — in sport
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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