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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — to handle
  5. last — final
  6. staff — a stick
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. row — a line
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. track — a song
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. pitch — completely
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. pound — a weight
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. track — a path

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