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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: last · swing · foot · band · track · cell · chip · field

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. field — for sport
  4. track — a path
  5. track — to keep track
  6. band — a music group
  7. chip — for betting
  8. field — farmland
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. last — to go on
  11. cell — in biology
  12. last — finally
  13. band — a ring
  14. swing — to play on
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. field — a subject
  19. track — a song
  20. swing — music
  21. cell — a phone
  22. swing — in golf
  23. chip — to eat
  24. last — final

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