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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: track · bass · last · wake · fork · game · pitch · bowl

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. last — finally
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. fork — in a road
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. track — to keep track
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. track — a song
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the fish
  20. track — a path
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — final
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. wake — before a funeral

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