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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: race · field · temple · roll · stand · bat · track · snap

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. track — a song
  3. field — farmland
  4. bat — the animal
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. track — a path
  7. field — for sport
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. field — a subject
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. race — humankind
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. snap — to click
  14. track — to keep track
  15. stand — to bear
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. roll — a cake
  19. roll — a list
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. race — a contest
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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