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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: game · field · pass · swing · rule · can · tube · track

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. can — a tin
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. game — wild animals
  5. tube — a container
  6. rule — government
  7. rule — a law
  8. track — a song
  9. swing — music
  10. game — a match
  11. swing — to play on
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. swing — in golf
  14. can — to be able to
  15. field — a subject
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. field — for sport
  18. tube — the underground
  19. can — a tin
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. field — farmland
  22. pass — a permit
  23. track — to keep track
  24. game — a kind of play

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