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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. track — a song
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. net — in sport
  7. last — to go on
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. last — finally
  10. net — for catching
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. ground — a position
  13. last — final
  14. track — to keep track
  15. ground — the earth
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. chair — a leader
  20. ground — crushed
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. net — after costs

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