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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: straw · hide · track · rest · charge · lean · racket · field

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. track — to keep track
  4. rest — what's left
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. charge — electricity
  8. track — a song
  9. rest — what's left
  10. charge — in control
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. field — for sport
  14. rest — a break
  15. field — a subject
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — to bend
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. lean — thin
  21. charge — a price
  22. field — farmland
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. racket — for tennis

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