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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · stand · pitch · land · wound · track · mate · fine

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. land — a country
  3. fine — high quality
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. land — ground
  6. mate — to breed
  7. fall — the season
  8. wound — an injury
  9. track — a path
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. mate — a partner
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mate — a friend
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. pitch — completely
  21. track — to keep track
  22. land — to come down
  23. fine — all right
  24. stand — to bear

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