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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: suit · rule · kick · shower · track · pitch · field · file

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. suit — clothes
  3. file — a tool
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. suit — in cards
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. suit — to fit
  8. track — a song
  9. field — farmland
  10. shower — to wash
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. field — for sport
  13. pitch — completely
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. field — a subject
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. rule — a law
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. shower — rain
  20. rule — government
  21. kick — in football
  22. track — to keep track
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a line of people

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