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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — to keep track
  3. can — a tin
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. ground — a position
  9. can — to be able to
  10. track — a path
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pop — to visit
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. can — a tin
  16. ground — the earth
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — soda
  24. ground — crushed

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