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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: saw · chair · track · pitcher · leaves · net · field · safe

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. field — farmland
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. chair — a leader
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. track — to keep track
  9. net — after costs
  10. saw — the tool
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. field — for sport
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. field — a subject
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. saw — the tool
  18. track — a song
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. net — for catching
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. net — in sport
  24. safe — out of danger

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