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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: rock · fall · march · saw · track · bay · field · chair

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. track — a path
  3. rock — music
  4. track — to keep track
  5. march — music
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. saw — the tool
  9. field — a subject
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. fall — to drop
  14. field — farmland
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — a leader
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. saw — the tool
  20. track — a song
  21. field — for sport
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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