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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: current · cell · track · land · field · coach · object · net

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. object — an aim
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. net — for catching
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. object — to protest
  7. track — to keep track
  8. land — ground
  9. cell — in biology
  10. field — farmland
  11. object — a thing
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. net — in sport
  14. current — electric
  15. track — a song
  16. current — happening now
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. track — a path
  19. net — after costs
  20. land — a country
  21. land — to come down
  22. current — of water
  23. cell — a phone
  24. field — a subject

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