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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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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: pitcher · foot · last · track · saw · racket · straw · leaves

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. saw — the tool
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. last — to go on
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. foot — a measure
  12. track — a song
  13. last — final
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. track — a path
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. last — finally
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. saw — the tool
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. straw — dry grass

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