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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: track · lie · deal · rush · mark · racket · pitch · mine

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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. lie — to recline
  4. mark — a grade
  5. track — to keep track
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. track — a song
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. deal — to handle
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — hurry
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a trace
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pitch — completely
  20. mine — for digging
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. lie — an untruth

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