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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. ground — the earth
  3. pitch — completely
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. ground — a position
  6. track — a song
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. stock — goods
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. ground — crushed
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. spell — magic
  13. stock — shares
  14. spell — a short time
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. snap — to click
  19. track — to keep track
  20. face — to confront
  21. spell — letters
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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