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

Word bank: track · bear · chest · lash · wound · bowl · pitch · present

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bear — the animal
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. chest — a box
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a song
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. present — a gift
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. present — the time now
  23. wound — an injury
  24. present — there

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