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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 · firm · track · snap · march · can · squash · lie

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. field — a subject
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. can — to be able to
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. can — a tin
  7. firm — steady
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — to crush
  10. firm — decided
  11. snap — to click
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. track — to keep track
  14. march — the month
  15. firm — a company
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. can — a tin
  19. lie — to recline
  20. track — a path
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. track — a song
  24. march — the month

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