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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rock · cold · track · content · mouse · field · stick · mug

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. cold — not warm
  3. rock — music
  4. field — for sport
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. track — a song
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. field — a subject
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mug — a cup
  14. field — farmland
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. content — happy
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. track — a path
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. mug — a face
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. track — to keep track

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