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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 116 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: sharp · track · field · hide · land · stock · straw · mouse

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. stock — shares
  3. track — to keep track
  4. field — for sport
  5. track — a song
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. stock — goods
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. sharp — clever
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. field — farmland
  17. land — ground
  18. field — a subject
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. land — to come down
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. track — a path
  24. land — a country

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