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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · track · safe · cap · craft · drill · field · file

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. drill — a practice
  6. file — a line of people
  7. track — a path
  8. drill — army training
  9. craft — boats
  10. file — a document
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. track — a song
  13. field — farmland
  14. cap — of ice
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. file — a tool
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. drill — the tool
  19. cap — a hat
  20. craft — a skill
  21. cap — a lid
  22. chair — a leader
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. craft — a handicraft

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