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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: hand · cap · field · charge · perch · track · fall · rule

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. track — to keep track
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — for sport
  5. rule — a law
  6. fall — to drop
  7. track — a song
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. cap — of ice
  10. rule — government
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. cap — a hat
  14. field — a subject
  15. fall — the season
  16. hand — help
  17. charge — in control
  18. cap — a lid
  19. fall — to drop
  20. charge — a price
  21. track — a path
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. charge — electricity
  24. hand — in cards

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