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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. ground — the earth
  6. net — in sport
  7. ground — crushed
  8. kick — in football
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. dip — to sink
  11. cap — a lid
  12. last — final
  13. ground — a position
  14. net — after costs
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. net — for catching
  19. last — to go on
  20. track — a song
  21. last — finally
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a hat
  24. track — to keep track

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