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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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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 · firm · field · can · cold · bowl · trunk · jam

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — steady
  3. firm — decided
  4. cold — an illness
  5. field — for sport
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. cold — not warm
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. field — a subject
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. field — farmland
  17. can — to be able to
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bowl — a football final

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