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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: field · press · calf · present · cell · cue · track · bat

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cell — a phone
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. present — a gift
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. present — there
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. press — to push
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. cue — a signal
  16. field — a subject
  17. bat — the animal
  18. press — newspapers
  19. track — a path
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. present — the time now
  23. cue — for pool
  24. calf — a young animal

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