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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: track · temple · mine · file · cap · date · field · charge

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. charge — in control
  3. date — the fruit
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. field — for sport
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. cap — a hat
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. mine — for digging
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a document
  12. track — a path
  13. file — a line of people
  14. field — a subject
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. cap — a lid
  17. charge — a price
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. charge — electricity
  20. cap — of ice
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. field — farmland
  23. track — a song
  24. mine — belonging to me

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