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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. rest — a break
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. file — a document
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. track — a song
  7. pitch — completely
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. last — finally
  10. track — a path
  11. fall — to drop
  12. file — a tool
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. rest — what's left
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. last — to go on
  17. wake — a trail
  18. track — to keep track
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fall — the season
  22. file — a line of people
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. last — final

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