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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
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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: ground · kid · file · track · field · date · rock · temple

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. field — farmland
  3. ground — crushed
  4. rock — a stone
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. date — the fruit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a path
  11. file — a line of people
  12. kid — to tease
  13. file — a document
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. kid — child
  16. rock — music
  17. ground — a position
  18. file — a tool
  19. track — a song
  20. ground — the earth
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — side of the head

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