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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — a song
  3. current — happening now
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. degree — an amount
  6. track — to keep track
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — a trail
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. degree — from a university
  14. current — electric
  15. pass — a permit
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. board — a committee
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. current — of water
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. pitch — completely

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