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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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 · track · saw · cold · bass · mouse · date · pit

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. saw — the tool
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. track — a song
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. pit — a hole
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — in a race
  14. field — a subject
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. track — to keep track
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. saw — the tool
  20. field — for sport
  21. bass — low music
  22. field — farmland
  23. bass — the fish
  24. track — a path

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