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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: cell · kid · field · arm · track · ball · temple · roll

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. cell — in biology
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. roll — a list
  9. track — a path
  10. cell — a phone
  11. field — a subject
  12. kid — child
  13. ball — a dance
  14. roll — a cake
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — farmland
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. ball — a great time
  23. kid — to tease
  24. track — a song

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