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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. track — a song
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. swing — in golf
  7. cap — of ice
  8. swing — to play on
  9. last — finally
  10. wind — moving air
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. swing — music
  13. scale — in music
  14. last — final
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. track — to keep track
  17. last — to go on
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — a hat
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pitch — completely
  23. track — a path
  24. mine — for digging

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