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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: stick · saw · field · track · content · key · pound · coach

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. pound — a weight
  3. key — for a lock
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. track — to keep track
  6. saw — the tool
  7. content — the amount
  8. track — a path
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. field — farmland
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. field — for sport
  16. key — the most important part
  17. field — a subject
  18. key — in music
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. content — happy

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