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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. track — a path
  3. fall — to drop
  4. chair — a leader
  5. fall — the season
  6. field — farmland
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. track — to keep track
  11. cap — a lid
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. fall — to drop
  14. track — a song
  15. field — a subject
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. field — for sport
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. cap — of ice
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. chair — to sit on

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