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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. pitch — completely
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. track — a path
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. spring — of water
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — low music
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. spring — the season
  20. sharp — clever
  21. track — a song
  22. lie — to recline
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. bass — the instrument

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