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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 · pitcher · file · track · leaves · drill · mate · kick

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mate — to breed
  3. track — to keep track
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. field — farmland
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. track — a path
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. file — a document
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. drill — army training
  13. mate — a partner
  14. field — a subject
  15. mate — a friend
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. file — a tool
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. file — a line of people
  20. kick — in football
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. track — a song
  23. drill — the tool
  24. field — for sport

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