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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: temple · bay · straw · file · shower · field · track · cue

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. field — farmland
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. shower — rain
  5. file — a document
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. file — a line of people
  8. track — to keep track
  9. cue — for pool
  10. shower — to wash
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. field — a subject
  13. track — a song
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — a hint
  18. track — a path
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. field — for sport

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