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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: field · chair · present · pitcher · rush · track · ball · trunk

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. field — for sport
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. present — there
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. track — a path
  11. ball — a dance
  12. track — to keep track
  13. rush — hurry
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. present — a gift
  16. track — a song
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. field — a subject
  19. present — the time now
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. field — farmland
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. chair — a leader

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