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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 is an ace ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. wound — an injury
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bass — the fish
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. track — a song
  10. wound — an injury
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. ground — crushed
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitch — completely
  23. ground — a position
  24. bass — low music

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