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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — a path
  3. track — to keep track
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. cap — of ice
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. cap — a hat
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. cold — not warm
  21. pitch — completely
  22. plane — a tool
  23. cap — a lid
  24. plane — an aircraft

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