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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: capital · safe · field · rule · bound · club · mouse · track

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. field — farmland
  5. capital — money
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bound — certain
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. club — for golf
  11. rule — government
  12. club — for dancing
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. capital — a city
  15. field — for sport
  16. bound — obliged
  17. track — a song
  18. club — a group
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bound — tied together
  22. track — a path
  23. rule — a law
  24. field — a subject

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