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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 116 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: season · land · hide · field · tear · track · cue · pass

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pass — a permit
  4. track — a song
  5. land — ground
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cue — a hint
  8. land — to come down
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. field — farmland
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a signal
  13. land — a country
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. season — of the year
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. track — a path
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. season — in sport
  21. tear — to rip
  22. field — a subject
  23. tear — from crying
  24. field — for sport

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