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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: track · deal · field · cap · club · chip · roll · face

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. track — to keep track
  3. cap — a hat
  4. roll — a cake
  5. track — a path
  6. cap — a lid
  7. deal — to handle
  8. club — for golf
  9. field — a subject
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. club — for dancing
  12. cap — of ice
  13. track — a song
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. chip — to eat
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. field — farmland
  18. roll — a list
  19. chip — for betting
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — part of the head
  22. field — for sport
  23. face — to confront
  24. roll — on a roll

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