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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. row — to paddle
  3. track — a path
  4. game — a match
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. drill — army training
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mate — a friend
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. track — a song
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — to breed
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pitch — completely
  19. track — to keep track
  20. row — a line
  21. drill — the tool
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. deal — to handle

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