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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
468
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: file · track · cell · scale · fine · field · kick · hide

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. track — a song
  6. cell — a phone
  7. fine — all right
  8. scale — in music
  9. field — a subject
  10. fine — high quality
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. scale — size or range
  13. field — for sport
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. file — a line of people
  16. track — a path
  17. kick — in football
  18. cell — in biology
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. file — a document
  21. field — farmland
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. file — a tool
  24. scale — for weighing

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