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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 120 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: fine · field · content · craft · arm · rock · track · cell

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. track — a song
  3. content — happy
  4. fine — all right
  5. field — a subject
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. track — to keep track
  8. cell — a phone
  9. field — farmland
  10. track — a path
  11. rock — a stone
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — boats
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. fine — high quality
  19. content — the amount
  20. cell — in biology
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. rock — music
  24. craft — a skill

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