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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. court — of law
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. land — ground
  5. suit — to fit
  6. land — to come down
  7. scale — size or range
  8. suit — in cards
  9. cap — a hat
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. swing — music
  12. track — a path
  13. cap — a lid
  14. court — of a king
  15. swing — in golf
  16. scale — in music
  17. track — to keep track
  18. pitch — completely
  19. suit — clothes
  20. swing — to play on
  21. land — a country
  22. cap — of ice
  23. court — for sport
  24. pitch — a sports field

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