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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. pitch — completely
  3. fall — to drop
  4. game — a match
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pop — to visit
  7. track — a path
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. fall — the season
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. pop — music
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. track — to keep track
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. mine — for digging
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. pop — soda

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