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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. track — to keep track
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bound — certain
  6. track — a song
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wake — a trail
  9. track — a path
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. pitch — completely
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. mine — for digging
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bound — obliged
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — in music
  21. bound — tied together
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. key — the most important part
  24. branch — a division

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