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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.

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: pitch · stock · leaves · cold · track · lean · mark · pound

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — to bend
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. cold — not warm
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. track — to keep track
  10. stock — goods
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. lean — thin
  16. track — a song
  17. cold — an illness
  18. mark — a grade
  19. stock — shares
  20. pitch — completely
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. pound — a weight
  24. leaves — lets stay

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