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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: ball · cue · field · track · fan · wave · drill · cap

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  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. track — a path
  3. field — a subject
  4. cue — a hint
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a great time
  7. cue — for pool
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. drill — the tool
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. cap — of ice
  13. drill — a practice
  14. cue — a signal
  15. ball — a dance
  16. cap — a hat
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cap — a lid
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. track — a song
  22. field — farmland
  23. drill — army training
  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