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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 116 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. net — in sport
  3. squash — to crush
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. track — a path
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. fine — high quality
  10. net — for catching
  11. wake — a trail
  12. squash — the sport
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fine — all right
  15. bat — the animal
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. net — after costs
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pitch — completely
  21. track — a song
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. wake — before a funeral

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