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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. face — to confront
  4. ball — a dance
  5. stand — to bear
  6. track — a song
  7. ground — the earth
  8. object — an aim
  9. track — to keep track
  10. face — to point toward
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. face — part of the head
  13. object — a thing
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a hint
  16. ball — a great time
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cue — a signal
  20. object — to protest
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — crushed
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. pitcher — a jug

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