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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. mate — to breed
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a path
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mate — a friend
  10. land — a country
  11. stock — shares
  12. cell — a phone
  13. land — to come down
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. mate — a partner
  17. land — ground
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. pitch — completely
  20. cell — in biology
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — out of danger

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