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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.

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: track · mouse · ground · fan · arm · fork · field · cold

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — for sport
  4. cold — an illness
  5. fork — in a road
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. ground — the earth
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — not warm
  13. ground — crushed
  14. track — to keep track
  15. field — farmland
  16. track — a path
  17. ground — a position
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. track — a song
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. fan — a supporter

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