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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 116 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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a song
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. track — a path
  6. mate — a partner
  7. lean — thin
  8. mate — to breed
  9. fine — high quality
  10. mug — a cup
  11. pitch — completely
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. row — to paddle
  14. fine — all right
  15. mate — a friend
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mug — a face
  19. row — a line
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. lean — to bend
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in music

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