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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 120 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pitch — completely
  4. scale — size or range
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — for a lock
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fall — to drop
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a path
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — music
  19. fall — the season
  20. track — a song
  21. scale — in music
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. key — in music
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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