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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: last · stock · lie · pitch · prune · rest · court · track

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pitch — completely
  5. lie — to recline
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. track — a song
  8. track — to keep track
  9. last — finally
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. stock — shares
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. stock — goods
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rest — what's left
  16. prune — to trim
  17. court — of law
  18. last — to go on
  19. rest — what's left
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. court — for sport
  22. rest — a break
  23. last — final
  24. court — of a king

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