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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. dip — to sink
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. roll — a list
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. track — to keep track
  11. court — of law
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. track — a song
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. court — for sport
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. stand — to bear
  24. court — of a king

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