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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: pass · wave · roll · track · drill · field · sharp · mate

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. roll — a cake
  3. mate — to breed
  4. field — a subject
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. field — for sport
  7. track — a path
  8. mate — a partner
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. drill — army training
  11. field — farmland
  12. track — a song
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. sharp — clever
  17. drill — the tool
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. drill — a practice
  22. pass — a permit
  23. mate — a friend
  24. roll — a list

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