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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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. pass — to succeed
  4. track — to keep track
  5. game — wild animals
  6. ground — the earth
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. ground — a position
  10. tear — from crying
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. chest — of your body
  13. fall — to drop
  14. tear — to rip
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. game — a match
  17. track — a song
  18. pass — a permit
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. season — of the year
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. ground — crushed

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