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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. swing — in golf
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. row — a line
  6. swing — music
  7. cap — a lid
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. cap — of ice
  12. track — a song
  13. cap — a hat
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. track — to keep track
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. leaves — to go away

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