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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: track · charge · hide · stem · court · race · field · cap

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. field — a subject
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. track — a path
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — humankind
  8. cap — of ice
  9. field — farmland
  10. track — to keep track
  11. court — of law
  12. charge — a price
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. court — for sport
  15. track — a song
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. field — for sport
  18. charge — electricity
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — a lid
  21. stem — to come from
  22. race — the arms race
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. charge — in control

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