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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cap — a lid
  3. shower — to wash
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cell — in biology
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. firm — a company
  8. firm — steady
  9. rest — a break
  10. pitch — completely
  11. saw — the tool
  12. firm — decided
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cell — a phone
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. shower — rain
  20. rest — what's left
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. track — to keep track
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. track — a song

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