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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. date — the fruit
  3. land — ground
  4. land — a country
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bore — to tire
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. land — to come down
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. track — to keep track
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bore — to drill
  23. track — a song
  24. fall — the season

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