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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: pop · cold · bear · ball · track · toast · field · rock

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — bread
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. track — a path
  5. field — for sport
  6. track — to keep track
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. cold — not warm
  10. pop — music
  11. rock — a stone
  12. cold — an illness
  13. field — a subject
  14. bear — the animal
  15. track — a song
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. pop — soda
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. rock — music
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. pop — to visit
  24. field — farmland

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