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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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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. mark — a grade
  3. track — a path
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. file — a line of people
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — crushed
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mark — a trace
  15. track — to keep track
  16. fall — the season
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. file — a tool
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. ground — a position
  24. file — a document

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