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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: lie · mate · track · fall · club · wind · stand · pitch

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mate — a partner
  4. fall — the season
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. club — a group
  7. track — to keep track
  8. club — for dancing
  9. wind — moving air
  10. club — for golf
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. mate — a friend
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pitch — completely
  15. lie — to recline
  16. track — a path
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. track — a song
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mate — to breed
  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