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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. track — a path
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. land — a country
  11. stem — to come from
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. land — to come down
  15. squash — the sport
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — hasty
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. track — a song
  21. fine — all right
  22. track — to keep track
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bowl — to roll

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