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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bat · temple · wound · bowl · track · date · field · foot

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. wound — an injury
  3. track — to keep track
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. date — the fruit
  6. field — a subject
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. track — a path
  10. field — farmland
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bat — the animal
  20. field — for sport
  21. wound — an injury
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. foot — a measure

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