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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. season — in sport
  3. track — to keep track
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. track — a song
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. pitch — completely
  15. board — to get on
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. season — of the year
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. deal — to handle
  22. board — a committee
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. deal — a big deal

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